Loose Screws
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: When your college degree & 2.25 will get you on a ride on a subway, if you weren't stuck in the Podunk town of Forks, Bella struggles to figure out her adult life. A job that was a last resort & a feeling she can't get rid of lead her down a path she never imagined. Forks Hardware is the beginning of that journey, & it's easy to see that to work there requires a few loose screws.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is a look at a Bella and Edward not so different from you and me. There are no glamorous jobs, or trust funds here, just hard work and plenty of fun. I've been working on this for a while, and while it is drabbler-ish, sometimes the chapters run a little long. They tend to be between 400-1500 words and I do have a large bank on this one. I will post at least three chapters a week, sometimes you'll get them in a burst, like today, other times there will be one post three times in the week. Other times I'll spoil you because I want to get you through a particular moment. Just know that I've got many things I'm working on and this is in the rotation with everything else. I've got another drabbler fic that you're going to get soon (today really is about the bounty of the harvest *snickers*) which will be more sporadic in its posting, but you'll learn more about that one in the author's note for that one. To all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, have a happy, and to everyone else, Happy Thursday. Among the things I'm thankful for, are team AGW, which includes three amazing pre-readers, tkegl, burntcore, and DICATAKADD, and my amazing wifey, mizzdee. And of course, all of my readers, for sticking with me on these crazy rides.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 1**

**BPOV**

_Breathe, you can do this._

I looked at the display of my phone, cursing that I had to squint to see the time through the crack on the screen. I seriously needed this job, and I knew that it wasn't going to be easy.

I'd applied when I first got back into town in July, but Eleazar had been on a cruise with his wife, Carmen, so Tanya had interviewed me. Let's just say I came home and contemplated tying sand bags to my ankles and jumping off one of the ferries into Puget Sound.

So after six months of failing to find anything, Charlie decided to add insult to injury.

My dad went into Forks Hardware and Lumber yesterday and happened to catch Eleazar in one of the aisles while he was doing inventory. The two of them got to talking, like small town folk do, and he mentioned as nonchalantly as a tactless man can that it was a shame that I hadn't been the right fit for the store, because he knew how good I was at doing things around the house. Eleazar had looked at my dad confused and asked what he meant.

Forty-five minutes later, my dad called to tell me that I had an interview with Eleazar at 8:15 the next morning.

It was 8:09 now … I think.

Taking one last deep breath, I got out of my truck and jogged across the parking lot so that I wasn't completely drenched when I made it inside.

The bell above the door trilled, signaling my entrance as I pulled off my hood and walked up to the register. A girl with corn silk hair sat at the register in a ridiculously low cut shirt under her smock and she had a cigarette hanging from her lip. I was about to ask her where I could find Eleazar when a voice boomed from the first aisle.

"Lauren, no smoking in the store!" I looked over as the man who the frightening voice belonged to walked out of the aisle and stared me down. "Are you Bella Swan?"

"Yes, Sir," I told him, holding out my hand until I saw the annoyed look on his face.

"Come with me into the office," he muttered as he turned and walked to the back of the store. I followed him through the curtain into the backroom and over to the office door. He opened it and gestured for me to walk in, closing it behind him.

Eleazar was sitting behind his desk, a big smile on his face. "Bella, I'm so sorry about the confusion when you first came in. Now, that you've met Amun, we can begin your interview."

I sat there for a few minutes, answering Eleazar's questions about my knowledge of hardware and my willingness to learn how to do things so I could help customers, while Amun seemed to think I was an addict of some sort.

_This was fucking Forks! Where were these raging keggers that he thought I'd be getting sloshed at?_

As Eleazar thanked me for coming in, he walked me out of the office and told me I'd hear from them in a few days. I walked down the last aisle and halfway through the store when I was almost ambushed by a greasy-looking middle aged guy with a name tag that read 'Al.'

"How'd it go?" he whispered, leaning in way too close for my comfort.

What. The. Fuck?


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Keeping the party moving. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 2**

**BPOV**

I got back in my truck and drove home, not caring that it was full on pouring as I cut through the rain in my monster of a truck. Charlie had bought this truck from his friend, Billy, whose son recently upgraded to a brand new Chevy.

I wasn't surprised to see said truck parked next to Charlie's cruiser, and as I walked in the house the three of them were sitting in the living room watching some sporting event even though it was only 9 a.m.

"How does it feel to be gainfully employed?" Charlie asked and I just scowled at him.

"I wouldn't know. He's going to 'call me in a few days,' whatever the fuck that means?" I grumbled and I heard him mutter something about my language, but I didn't give a fuck, I was pissed. "Seriously, Charlie, who the hell has worked there, because it felt more like a drug bust than an interview, and then some creeper invaded my personal space!"

"Remember, Bells, if they want you to get tested, they have to pay for it."

Nice, Dad. Real fucking nice.

"Fend for yourselves tonight, I'm going to make myself a salad for dinner," I yelled as I ran upstairs.

I hated feeling like such a failure, but with my framed degree in English hanging on my wall mocking me, there wasn't much else I could do. Forks didn't have the opportunities that Jacksonville did, but what it lacked in opportunity, it made up in distance from my mother.

That made me sound awful, but the truth was that Renee was the child in a relationship where I desperately needed a mother. Which was why I went to school in Seattle, I decided to give Charlie some well deserved time after only coming for a few weeks every summer and alternating holidays.

So to quote the musical _Avenue Q_, "Four years of college, and plenty of knowledge, have earned me this useless degree," and I was still in Forks, hoping to catch a break that didn't seem to be coming.

I was just about to put on my headphones and wallow when my phone rang. I reached for it and saw that it wasn't one of my contacts, so I answered it to see if the day could get any worse.

"Hello?"

"Bella, it's Amun from Fork's Hardware. Can you start tomorrow? We'd like you to train with Kate before she starts back at school."

"Yeah, I'm available. What time would you like me to come in?" I asked, shocked that I was getting a call at all.

"We open at eight, so you'll work from then to two. Is that a problem?" Amun asked again and I told him it wasn't. "Okay, see you then."

The phone disconnected and I started kicking my feet and punching the air. I had a job!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

I was up early the next morning, and nervous as all hell. I made my coffee in my giant cappuccino mug, and sipped it slowly as Charlie moved around the kitchen.

"Do you need any money for lunch, Bella?" He was trying to look out for me, but I did have a little money left.

"No, I'm good, but we are running low on food," I admitted. I wasn't eating salads because I was on a diet; it was because there wasn't much else left in there that wasn't fish.

"Can we make it until Thursday, because that's when I get paid?"

I nodded; one good thing about being a town employee was the direct deposit. No waiting for the check to clear.

When I finished my coffee, I washed the mug and then grabbed my coat and purse so I was ready to go. It once again only took about ten minutes to get to work, so I parked a few rows back by some of the other cars sitting in the parking lot and walked up to the front door.

Lauren was standing there smoking, and Al was sitting in his car waiting for the store to open.

Amun unlocked the door at 7:55 and I followed Lauren in. The three of us walked into the back room and as I continued to tag along behind my coworker, she slammed the door to the locker room in my face.

"Don't mind Lauren, she's weird."

I spun at the unfamiliar voice and was face to face with who I was assuming was Kate Denali. She looked very similar to Tanya, and even though his hair was now white, I'd noticed in a family picture in the office that Eleazar was where his daughters had inherited their golden locks.

"I'm Bella," I said, deciding to keep it simple.

"Kate Denali," she replied. "Let's get you set up with all your equipment and then I'll start showing you the ropes."

It took a few minutes for me to get an apron, walkie-talkie, and a locker once Lauren had vacated the room, but finally I was up at the front register. Kate went over the store's point-of-sale system and explained the different item numbers and various accounts that were set up. We had a frequent shopper club, contractors' club, and then house accounts, which would affect the cost of various items, and all of which had to be checked.

Amun brought up a bunch of items and tried to mess me up, but I'd either do what I was supposed to do, or agree to be more careful when I was helping customers for real.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for that, thank you, Amun." My acceptance of his moodiness seemed to surprise him, but I was determined to succeed at this job.

Kate and I spent the morning at the front register, and Lauren was in the back at the register in the lumber department, so it was easy to see why they needed at least two cashiers a shift. I hadn't even noticed the other employees until one came up around 11:15 to walk next door to the Thriftway.

"Bella, this is Tyler Crowley. Tyler, this is the new cashier, Bella Swan." Kate did the introductions and Tyler immediately winked at me.

"So, you're the Chief's daughter? Nice to meet you, Bella. You want something from the store?"

I shook my head no and Kate was quick to call after him, "I'll take a medium coffee, milk, one sugar, thanks for asking."

I laughed with her as he ran across the parking lot but when the next customer came through the door, we got back to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 4**

**BPOV**

My schedule alternated between working the morning shift and the afternoon, so when I went to work on Wednesday, I trained with Jasper in the lumber department.

That was a completely different challenge, but thankfully the system was the same. As he explained, the lumber department had one dedicated cashier and one floor associate, and the main store had a cashier and two floor associates, plus the manager, who could float back and forth as needed. He also explained that customers could purchase regular store items in the lumber department, but items from back here had to be paid for in the department.

Jasper explained the lumber book to me, as well as the way the room was organized. Luckily, all the lumber and sheetrock was shelved in size order, and the other building supplies that were in the lumber department were on pallets in the center of the room so it was easy to see and point out something if a customer needed help. A customer picked their pieces, and if they needed it cut, a floor associate had to do it at the workstation, but only the managers or Eleazar could use the table saw for the larger pieces of lumber.

It was a lot to manage, but I had a little personal notebook that Jasper gave me to keep information in and every time he explained something to me, I'd write it down.

Jasper was far easier to work with than Amun, and after I finished my first shift in the lumber department, I got a bit of good news.

"I know you're off tomorrow, so when you come in on Friday, you'll be on the floor working with Emmett. Spend the first half hour trying to learn the aisles on your own, and then when he gets in at 2:30, he'll go over things with you."

"Thanks, Jasper. I'll see you Friday," I said as I punched out at 2.

"Have a good night," he called back.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 5**

**BPOV**

I got to work a few minutes early today, excited for a chance on the floor. I knew that I wouldn't be helping anyone, but at least I'd be learning the store so I could tell people where things were. Jasper was at lunch when I got in, so I started walking the aisles, trying to figure out some way to remember all of this stuff.

"Bella," Jasper called me and I looked up to see him with a giant of a man, "I want you to meet, Emmett. Emmett, this is the Chief's daughter."

"Hey, Bella, how's the store treating you?" Emmett asked.

"Okay so far," I admitted, because besides the glares from Tanya and Irina, and creeper Al, it wasn't bad.

"Stick with me, Kid, I'll have you running this place in no time," Emmett joked as he took me back up towards the front. "Okay, before we go any further, there are a few things you'll need to know to succeed here. Number one, don't talk too much shit about the girls to Jasper. Even though he tries to be professional, they're his cousins, and I don't care how easy going he is, they're family."

_Shit, totally didn't know that one. Thank you, Emmett._

"Number two, don't say anything around Alistair that you don't want everyone to know, because he's a fucking tattle tale. And number three; don't give advice if you aren't absolutely positive. Our job is to explain the products and let the customers decide. If you tell them what to use and it ruins their property, they'll come in here expecting Eleazar to pay for it. We've lost a few people because they sold people things without knowing what they were talking about. Always ask someone if you don't know."

"That sounds easy enough," I told him.

"Good, now what did you figure out about the store so far?" Emmett asked and I started going over my rundown.

"Well, the lumber department has all the wood, sheetrock and the larger sizes of things that a lot of the contractors buy. The back of the main room has the paint department by the curtains to the backroom, then the boating, camping, and automotive things. And on the other side of the sliding doors is gardening and all the bug sprays."

"Good, now what about the aisles?" Emmett prompted.

I went over the various aisles, and then Emmett asked me for the locations of specific items. I made a few mistakes, but Emmett was impressed with what I knew so far.

"The arrangement is easy, so it's just a matter of finding it in the aisle once you get there," I was saying as a deep voice started to speak over me.

"Emmett, can you call Jasper? I need to order some light fixtures for -" The guy stopped when he saw me, and I think I died a little. Damn, he was gorgeous. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were helping someone."

"No worries, Edward. Meet Bella, she's the new Ellen," Emmett joked about my predecessor.

"She's gone already? I guess that's what happens when I take a job out of town, I miss whole people." Edward turned to me and held out his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Bella. I hope you stay for the duration."

Just as he finished talking, our hands touched and I felt an electric shock from him. I could tell he felt it too, and after a tight smile, he ran off in search of Jasper.

"You'll be seeing a lot of Edward; he practically lives here with how often he shops in the store for all of the jobs he does," Emmett commented as my eyes followed the head of crazy auburn hair. He stopped to give Jasper a piece of paper and then walked out the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 6**

**BPOV**

For a man that practically lived here according to Jasper and Emmett, Edward sure was scarce the next week as I continued to learn the store, which was a shame because he was hot. Once I'd had a chance to get used to both parts of the store, I was kept in the front so I could learn things quickly.

Kate was fun to work with, but both of her sisters, Tanya and Irina, seemed to enjoy giving me crap. The guys at work were an interesting group. Tyler was a little odd, but he was definitely better than Alistair and Lauren, or Amun, but I was happy that he seemed to have a little change of heart when it came to me. Jasper, Emmett, and Lizzie, our other cashier who was about my dad's age, were a blast to work with. Liam was another one of our full-timers, and him and I instantly became partners in crime. Embry seemed to be one of the reasons for the hardcore drug questions, as his eyes were perpetually bloodshot, and he fit the profile for a pot smoker.

I parked in the lot on Sunday morning, stopping to get coffee and a croissant at the bakery before my shift started. Liam pulled up a few minutes later and knocked on the passenger door, so I unlocked it.

"Morning," he said as slid in and closed the door to keep in the heat.

"Good morning. What's it like here on Sundays?" Since I alternated weekend days, I wasn't sure if there was anything different that happened.

"Well, there won't be many construction workers, so the lumber department will be slow, but the rest of the store will be filled with people asking dumb questions. Sunday is the day that people decide to tackle little projects that they can't even begin to know how to do, so it's a lot of hand-holding. I'll be stuck in the front room, but Tanya will likely want to stay on the back register, so if you brought a book, you won't get a chance to read it today."

"I don't feel comfortable reading at work yet. I brought a book, but I doubt I would bring it out even if I was in the back room," I admitted to Liam. When they told me that I could read in the lumber department if all of my other tasks were done, I had thought Jasper was joking, but when Amun confirmed it, I may have ordered a few used books online to read while on the job.

"What did you bring?" Liam asked.

"Oh no, you'd laugh at me. No way am I showing you that," I told him as we looked in the direction of a car that had just pulled in. "Amun's here, do you want to head in?"

"Might as well, it's almost 10a.m." He shrugged as we climbed out of the car and walked to the front door.

Liam had been right, and Tanya headed straight to the back register when she got in at 10:15, sending Lauren out onto the floor in the main store.

Liam had also been correct about the crazy questions, but I managed to direct people to someone that was able to help. We were also busy with a different type of customer as the construction workers were mostly off so it was homeowners coming in with projects.

The day ended far quicker than I expected and I drove home to catch up on some reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the great response to this story. I'm going to post two chapters on Saturday, so until then enjoy. Love to Mizzdee for all of her hard work.**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

The weeks seemed to fly by after that and it felt good to have somewhere to go and some money in the bank at the end of the day. Granted, I only made about $500 every two weeks, but it was something. I didn't have many bills, and Charlie and I were working together to pay off both of our college loans so that I'd be debt free a lot sooner.

Kate went back to school in Port Angeles, so she was only around on weekends and partial shifts if we needed her, so I was working with Tanya and Irina without the buffer of the nice sister. Irina seemed to accept Tanya's poor opinion of me, so I didn't really have a lot of time at work where one of them wasn't giving me crap, but Liam and Emmett made it worth it when they were there.

Jasper let it slip that Edward was scarce on my shifts on purpose, and if he did have to come in, he'd go to the other cashier if possible. It was frustrating mainly because I didn't know what I'd done to make him act that way. My only assumption was that with the Cullens and the Denalis being so close, Tanya had managed to talk me down and he'd chosen to believe it. And if that was the case then he could keep her; I don't need that kind of drama in my life. Though my co-workers thought he was hiding feelings for me.

February trudged on, and on one particularly sunny Monday, our weekly delivery truck was late to get in. Tyler had a doctor's appointment, so I was working a double shift today. Amun had asked me to make some room on the top of the aisle for the overstock, which is how I wound up on top of an eight-foot ladder.

I was focusing on what I'd been asked to do, so I had no clue how it really happened, but Irina's cart hit my ladder and I went flying. Well, falling really.

I was trying right myself, so I'd only break my leg when two strong arms caught me, but not before my head hit the shelf with a dull smack.

Chaos ensued as I looked up to see Edward holding me until he lowered my feet to the ground and steadied me. Amun and Jasper were both there, as were Alistair, Eleazar and a few customers, all asking if I was okay.

I kept telling them that I was fine, and then Eleazar pulled Irina into the office for a long chat.

"Okay, Bella. We're going to keep your feet on the ground for the rest of the morning, and then we'll see if Emmett can work the afternoon shift for you," Jasper said, but I was already trying to convince him otherwise.

"But I'm a cashier in the afternoon. Let me work in the lumber department and I'll bug you every fifteen minutes so you know I'm not passed out back there. I even brought one of my books with me." I hoped letting him know that I planned on actually reading one of the books he'd been dying to see since Liam told him that I was embarrassed by it that he'd let me work where I wanted.

"I'll talk to Amun, because it's his call. But if you feel weird you have to let us know," Jasper warned.

"I will, but honestly, I only tapped my head. I've done worse walking into cabinets at home." It was at that moment that I realized that Edward was nowhere to be seen since he caught me. "Did you see where Edward went?"

"I think he headed out once you told everyone you were fine. He's working on a house in Port Angeles and he had a bunch of things to pick up this morning, but he'll probably be back either tonight or tomorrow morning because a bunch of stuff was coming in on the truck."

"Okay, I wanted to thank him, but he vanished," I admitted, getting back to work.

Much to Alistair's annoyance, I was sent to lunch first, and by twelve-thirty I was back on the floor, putting away the plumbing fittings that were in the totes.

Two o'clock had me running to my locker to grab my beginner's plumbing book and relieving Lauren from the lumber department.

I sat back there, ringing up customers for most of the afternoon, when I heard a voice I knew well, but rarely heard. "I'm surprised Eleazar didn't send you home."

I looked up to see Edward smiling at me. "There's nothing wrong with me, thanks to you, so there wasn't a reason to send me home," I admitted. "I wish you hadn't run off, I wanted to say thank you."

"Well, you have … twice now. I'm just glad I was able to help." Edward looked really uncomfortable, so I gestured towards his trolley and told him to wheel it over so I could ring him up.

Neither of us talked as I charged him for his items and he paid, but as I let out a far too enthusiastic goodbye, I groaned and rested my forehead on the counter.

"Bella, are you okay?" Jasper asked.

"I'm an idiot, but that was a pre-existing condition," I muttered and he shot me a confused look. "I seem to only be able to make an ass out of myself the few times Edward is in here when I work. It's no wonder he runs every chance he gets."

"Edward's antisocial behavior isn't anything you did, it's self-imposed."

"Where's my girl? I heard she took a tumble this morning thanks to the Ice Queen," James said from the doorway between the store and the lumber department.

When I'd met him my second week, I thought he was going to get added to the list of chauvinistic pig construction workers that shop here, but to my shock he would actually seek me out when I was on the floor and make me help him so I'd learn the store faster. He was also hilarious, and a little bit of a flirt.

"You heard right, Irina tried to take me out," I teased.

"Don't worry, we'll go to the Irritable Grizzly tonight and get our drink on," James said in that way that didn't give much room to argue.

"Jasper, you'll come too?" I asked, because even though he didn't work in the morning, he'd make sure I was home by midnight.

"Sure, we'll make a night of it," Jasper joked, and I was sure that a few more of my co-workers would be there.


	8. Chapter 8

Here's two more for you! Love to mizzdee.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 8**

**BPOV**

Of course, Charlie had heard about my accident, but the fact that I had also been able to work through my double shift and had dinner ready when he got home kept him from driving me to the hospital.

"You're not going out tonight," Charlie tried to stop me.

"I'm going out with Jasper, James and Emmett, I will be fine," I muttered.

"Don't you work in the morning?" He pushed, but I wasn't going to hear it.

"Emmett has to be at his first job early too. We aren't going to spend all night out; we just want to blow off a little steam."

"Why don't you call Jacob and ask him to join you?" Charlie tried to be sly, but it wasn't working.

"He said he has plans…I think he's going on a date with Leah."

The look of shock on my dad's face was priceless; he really thought that he could hook me up with Jacob. Sorry, Dad.

"Well then, be careful," was his parting remark as he went out into the living room.

I got ready and met James at the bar by 9:45 p.m., excited that our least favorite people weren't there. I didn't think Jasper would invite his cousins along, but with it being a small town, Irritable Grizzly was one of the few options.

James and I were laughing at the bar, having just ordered our second beer each when Jasper, Emmett and Edward arrived. They took the three seats to my left and joked around together. Edward was still being weird, so when James pulled me over to the dance floor, I really let myself enjoy it.

James was a flirt, but we knew we were nothing more than friends and from the way he was glaring over my shoulder, I'm guessing someone behind us was not happy to see me dancing with him. The two of us laughed and carried on for three songs before James stopped and looked up drawing my attention to Edward as he crossed the floor and walked out the door.

"What a piece of shit," I remarked as I went back to the bar, polished off my beer and paid my tab. "Seeing as I've run off your friend, who doesn't seem to be able to stand the sight of me, and killed my buzz, I'm going home to get some sleep before my alarm goes off."

"Bella, you've got it all wrong. We know he likes you, but he's just-" Emmett started but I held up my hand.

"Next time you want to hang out, leave Mr. Moody at home." With a final wave, I walked to the door and started up my truck, ready for the day to be over.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 9**

**BPOV**

Another four weeks passed and I'd done a pretty good job ignoring Edward, seeing as he was intent to do the same. Eleazar was impressed by my reading material and actually told Amun and Jasper to quiz me on some basic home repair so I could help on the floor when it was needed.

Irina had just announced that she was going to school in California in the fall, so we were probably going to be hiring a new cashier over the summer to help fill in for Irina and Kate being gone most of the time, but Amun hinted that a few extra hours might come my way.

That excited me, because it meant that I might actually be able to move out of Charlie's.

I loved my dad, but the man had a talent for making my life crazy, and if I had any intention of dating, I would need to not live with the Chief.

Groaning about this one Thursday morning as I sat in the bed of Jacob's truck, he smiled at me like I had all the answers.

"What is with that shit-eating grin, Jake?" I prodded him and he took my hand.

"I've got something to show you," Jacob said, pulling me over to the ATV he used to get around the Reservation. We drove for a few minutes when he finally pulled up to the marina that sat further down from First Beach, the area most people from Forks came to swim.

"Why are you dragging me down to the marina, Jake? I thought you were going to teach me how to change the oil on my truck."

"Bella, you'll have the oil changed in no time, but this is important." We were now walking down the last dock and Jake started calling out, "Emily? You awake yet?"

"Jacob Black, don't you know that you shouldn't come around here screaming if you think someone could be asleep?" Sam Uley said from bow of a nice sized boat.

"Hey, Sam, I was just looking for Emily, Bella here has some questions for her." Jake kept grinning, but I just stared at his simple ass.

"Bella looks as confused as I am, so why don't you enlighten us, Jacob?" Sam teased, but Jake just let it go.

"She's looking for an inexpensive place to live. Charlie is cramping her style, but money's tight with her working part-time at Forks Hardware, so I thought that if Emily was getting ready to move with the wedding that maybe Sue would rent it to Bella. But I figured Emily could show her around and talk up the boat before we bothered Sue."

"How is this going to be cheaper than living in town?" I was beginning to think that Jake ate some lead paint chips as a child.

"It actually is," a feminine voice came from behind me. I turned to see a beautiful young woman slide up beside Sam. "I'm Emily Young, soon to be Uley."

"Bella Swan, nice to meet you," I said with a wave.

"Come aboard, I'll give you a little tour and talk to you about what it takes."


	10. Chapter 10

Love to mizzdee for helping me but out a bit more of this story, and to everyone for the amazing response to this little fic. Here's a few more. One big burst this afternoon, so there's no wait between chapters.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 10**

**BPOV**

An hour later, I was sitting on the bench on the bow of the boat, shaking my head. I could live here. It was seriously feasible. And if I did get the extra hours, then I'd be able to save a little money for down the line. It would be cramped, but honestly I didn't own much. Besides, Charlie would let me store what I didn't need on the boat and I could just pick up something if necessary.

The cold wasn't even a problem, because the boat was insulated similarly to the way a house was. It would take some getting used to, as Emily explained, but this was something I really wanted. And it was going to be available in two weeks when Emily moved into Sam's house after their wedding.

At some point during the conversation, Jake called Sue and soon she was sitting with me talking money and arrangements.

"Bella, I'm going to make the same deal with you that I did with Emily, because I'm not looking to make a profit off of this boat, so much as I don't want Harry's boat to cost me money." Harry had been my father's best friend before he passed away, and Sue wasn't able to sell his beloved boat after he died, which is how she started renting it out to people she knew who wanted a place to stay when money was tight.

"You'll have to use a cell phone, as they don't have phone lines set up on the dock, but there is cable and internet out here. I'll call the cable company to change it to your name and you'll be able to pick your cable plan and they'll bill you directly each month. The rent is $450 a month, which covers the marina fees and your utilities, plus your parking spot, and if there are any repairs needed on the boat that will depend on what the cause was. But Sam has done a great job fixing it up, so as long as you do the necessary maintenance, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Is it stuff I can do myself, or should I plan on having to hire someone to do it for me?" I asked, seeing where the potential money pit could lie.

"A lot of it is the same as maintaining your car. Putting in the proper fluids, checking the systems, but call Sam if you need anything. He runs the boatyard for Old Quil so he'll take care of you." Sue laughed and I was ready to make this work.

"You've got a tenant," I said, shaking her hand.

"We'll be ready for you to move in April 1st," Sue agreed and I ran inside to hug Jake.

"Thank you, Jake. I really needed a little bit of good fortune."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 11**

**BPOV**

Returning home after spending a good part of my day at what would soon be my new home; I was preparing myself for the worst. I had moved to Seattle to be closer to Charlie, and then to Forks because there wasn't much I could do with my degree, but now I was moving out, and I didn't want him to feel like I was abandoning him.

The front door slammed as I pulled the lasagna out of the oven, leaving it to sit for a few minutes while the garlic bread cooked.

"That smells delicious, Bella," Charlie said as he walked past the kitchen on his way to wash up. A few minutes later he was back, grabbing a beer as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Did you go spend some time with Jake before his shift at the garage?"

"Yeah, we actually went down to the marina and hung out with Sam and Emily. She's getting ready to move off of the houseboat and into Sam's house," I said to guide the conversation where it needed to go; otherwise, it would never get there.

"It's a shame Sue's losing her tenant, I know she's sentimental about Harry's boat, but it's a big burden until Seth's old enough to move out." Charlie bringing up the burden was helping my case, so I decided to just tell him the truth.

"Well, it won't be a burden to her now, because she already has a new tenant lined up." I let the conversation sit there while I finished preparing the bread and plated two servings.

But as soon as my butt hit the chair, Charlie started it right back up. "I think you moving out there is a great idea, Bells."

"You do?" I asked, a little shocked by his enthusiasm, but not at all surprised that he knew I was talking about me.

"Yes. You're older and you need some space, but I'd much rather you get it down on the Reservation than across the country. In fact, if you let me borrow that little motorboat that comes with it when I go fishing, and feed me one good home cooked meal a week so that I get to see you, I'll pay your cable and internet bill and pay for the diesel to run your boat. But if you take it out on the water that will be out of your own pocket." The smirk on his face was a great thing to see, because it made this so much easier on me.

"Dad, I don't think I'll be driving that monster, but thank you for the help."

Charlie barked a laugh at my comment as he continued. "Hey, I remember how hard it was to start out. And you could have racked up a mountain of student loans, but instead you applied for every scholarship and grant there was and your education is almost paid in full. I was renting the motorboat from Emily for $250 since mine was turned into toothpicks, so it's the same difference if I pay those for you."

"It still means a lot that you're okay with this. I was worried it would upset you," I told him as I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Naw, you've always been independent. I'm just glad that you're giving Forks the time you are. You didn't have to come here after graduating, but I'll take as much time as I can with you here."

After dinner, Charlie and I settled in to watch some TV for a while before I went to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay guys, this is the end for this week, but you'll get a big grouping next week, either Wednesday or Sunday, which will include and EPOV. We shall finally learn what is up with the crotchety Mr. Cullen.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 12**

**BPOV**

Two weeks passed in what felt like minutes and after setting up my cable and internet, I was ready to move aboard.

There honestly wasn't a lot of room, but I was okay with that. There was a full set of dishes on the boat and I took a bunch of my pots from college so that I could cook, and then my clothes and some of my favorite books and Kindle and computer was all I really needed.

And my comforter because it was a little chilly out there. The heater took most of the chill out of the air, but there was a definite need to snuggle into my blankets that first night.

Every day I tackled something little, whether it was organizing the kitchen how I liked it, or cleaning the boat and getting it ready for the warmer weather, and that was a reward in and of itself. Sam was a huge help, teaching me about all of the little things I needed to pay attention to.

The one thing I noticed as the weather got nicer was how often Edward was down at the Rez. Evidently, when he got bigger jobs he hired a bunch of the young guys from La Push to work for him. Jake said that the elders loved it because it was teaching them a skill, plus they were earning money and keeping themselves out of trouble. All it meant was that I saw more of the guy I'd like to see less of.

One a particularly crappy Saturday, I finished my shift, which included Al thanks to Tanya switching days with him, to do some decorating on my boat. After lugging the lounge chairs and little end tables up to the top deck, I started arranging my furniture when I heard the last voice I wanted to.

"Look at the little water rat," Tanya said as she walked past my boat, making her way towards the parking lot from where the Denali's had their boat.

"Shut up, Tanya," Kate sniped as she waved at me. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Sure," I told her, "swing through the kitchen on your way up and grab yourself a drink."

"What about me?" Jasper asked and I motioned for him to join us, ignoring where Edward stood waiting on the dock.

"You look like you were made to live aboard," Eleazar commented and I shrugged.

"It's peaceful here," I told him.

Jasper and Kate chose that moment to join me up top and with a polite wave and a smile, the rest of their group left.

"I'm sorry my sister is such a bitch to you," Kate started out. "I think she's pissed that she isn't the golden child of the store anymore."

"What are you talking about?" I said through a giggle, because I was hardly that high on the radar.

"Bella, you've been there for five months, and my father loves you. You're on time, you'll cover a shift with hardly any hesitation, and you're actively trying to learn more so you can be more helpful. Plus, Edward is paying her even less attention than he had been, and that's saying something."

"You two are seriously crazy," I said to the pair of them. "Both of you have this delusion that Edward secretly likes me, but the man can't even stand to be in the same room as me."

"Edward's issues are with Edward, not you," Jasper said. "He's in this weird place where he won't take help from his parents on principle, but he isn't ready to take the next step in his business without it. Once he's got his head out of his ass, he'll be asking for permission to come aboard."

Crinkling my face up at his innuendo, I smacked Jasper's arm. "You're gross, and if you start teasing me with nautical terms at work I'll drop a two by four on your foot."

"Okay, enough of that," Kate demands, "Jasper, tell us about your date with Alice."

"Who's Alice?" I asked, intrigued.

"A friend of mine from school, she met Jasper a few weeks ago and he finally took his balls out of his back pocket and asked her out," Kate jabbed her cousin and right there all talk of the store was gone for the night.


	13. Chapter 13

This chapter is a little short, but don't worry, there are a total of 5 chapters tonight! Huge credit to Mizzdee for her work on these.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 13**

**BPOV**

The next two months flew and just like Kate and Jasper hinted at, Eleazar called me into his office to ask if I'd work the full twelve hours on Monday and Tuesday, making me a full-time employee. As her graduation present, Irina was going to be traveling through Europe with Carmen for almost a month before coming back to get ready for school, so she was officially off the schedule.

Being at the store more meant I had more time on the floor and more time interacting with our customers.

Yay...

Why these men thought it was smooth to ask me to 'help them find their nuts' or tell me 'they need a good screw', I'd never know. It wasn't funny the first time, and it wasn't funny today.

But it was a paycheck and that was the most important thing. It was also nice to be learning something that was actually useful and being able to help a customer who wasn't looking down to me made it worth it.

Tonight was shaping up to be an interesting night, since it was Kate's twenty-first birthday, and a few of us were going to the Irritable Grizzly. There would be a big group of us, and I was really excited that I would get to cut loose for once.

I took the extra time to get ready, making sure my make-up and hair looked perfect. With a few of Kate's friend from school coming, maybe I could meet a guy who didn't look at me with disgust. At the very least, I was determined to get out of the rut of t-shirts, flannel, jeans, and a permanent ponytail for a night and remember what it felt like to relax.

Kate promised that Edward wasn't invited, but he'd likely be there with Emmett. Thankfully, he hadn't felt the need to storm out of the bar since the first time him and I were there together. If only I knew what his problem was.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 14**

**EPOV**

I had no idea why I was torturing myself, but I couldn't seem to stay away from her either. I'd seen Bella around a few times when she first moved in with Charlie last summer, but since she was hired at Forks Hardware, it was so much worse.

Bella's exactly what I wanted in a woman: smart, funny, gorgeous, and she wasn't afraid of hard work. She sat at the register with how-to books on home repair so she could help customers better, and it made me want to bring her along on small handyman type jobs as an extra set of hands, or bring her back to my house so she can help me fix it up.

But that was never going to happen.

I loved my job and my life, and I knew it would be a struggle during my first couple of years after graduating college, but once I'd worked as an apprentice of Riley Biers in Seattle, I was ready to start my own business. In my first two years, I wasn't doing too badly, as most of the contractors around here were specialty workers – electricians and plumbers.

James was the only other big General Contractor around here, but he preferred new construction, as his degree was in architecture, so he'd referred me some renovations, and I'd give him a heads up on new construction jobs. We'd even teamed up on two bigger projects of his so that he could stay within the time constraints of the job.

The only thing that pissed me off about him was his relationship with Bella. I had no idea if they were dating, fuck buddies, or friends, but he made her smile more than I liked.

It should be me.

Emmett interrupted my wallowing as he slammed my Vitamin R down on the table. "She thinks you hate her, numb nuts."

I turned my stare to Emmett, but he didn't say anything else. "I don't hate her, I just…"

"Just what?" He pushed. "Want to make her feel like shit? Because if that was your goal then mission accomplished. She can be having a great day and you come in and act like you do and everything good just gets erased. If you weren't my best friend, I'd kick your ass. Hell, I still might if you don't pull your head out of your ass."

"Whatever, I'm sure James makes her forget all about me," I said, chugging half of my beer.

"Okay, now I know you're huffing glue. James and Bella are just friends; he's dating a chick from Sequim. She hangs out here on weekends."

I looked back at Bella's table where James, Jasper, Kate, and two of her friends from school were sitting. They were joking and laughing and I wished I could be sitting there beside her.

"Why don't you just go over there and apologize for being a dickhead, then?" Emmett asked and I realized I must have said that last part out loud.

"Because she deserves better than I can give her," I muttered.

"Horseshit!" he hissed. "You're a business owner who's making a profit when most people can't support themselves. I know for a fact that she's attracted to you, and she's probably the only woman who would drop her panties at the sight of your house. Get your shit together and ask the girl on a date."

"Shut up, asshat," was my great comeback as I noticed that I wasn't the only one watching Bella. "What the fuck is he doing here?"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 15**

**EPOV**

"What? Who?" Emmett asked as I gestured to where Lonnie was.

"That guy, his name is Lonnie. I know him from working in Port Angeles, but he's bad news."

Emmett asked, "Like Embry bad news, or…"

"No, like Charlie's worst nightmare," I replied.

Lonnie just sat back and drank for a while, so when Emmett responded to Rosalie's booty call, I was left alone to watch him. When I got up to take a piss, Bella left and unfortunately, so did Lonnie. I paid my tab and drove north towards Forks, because both of them would need to take one-oh-one to get home and hopefully I could catch up to them.

I got stuck behind a log truck, which slowed me up more than I wanted when I noticed the unfamiliar car parked right past the turn into the Rez. The bile rose in my stomach as I gunned it, calling Sam on my way.

"Hello?" Sam had obviously been asleep when I called.

"Sam, its Edward. There was some jerk at the bar tonight, and I think he followed Bella back to the marina-"

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be there. If you need to jump the fence, do it by the office, it'll be easier to climb down." Sam hung up before I could say anything else as I made the turn that led to the marina.

Pulling up, I saw Bella's truck and parked next to it, shutting off the engine before I ran to the fence. Scaling it and jumping onto the office's roof, I hopped onto the lower part of the building and then down to the ground.

It took a minute to see him, but he was right by Bella's slip, so I jogged along the dock and climbed onto the boat just as he reached for the sliding door. I caught him off guard and we fought for a moment before I was able to push him overboard. I was about to check on Bella when I heard her voice behind me.

"Edward, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Bella, I need you to lis-" I began to say, but I was pulled backwards off the boat by Lonnie.

I heard her scream as I went over and the commotion as I came back to the surface. I waited in the water until Sam called out my name.

"Down here," I hollered and was offered a hand back onto the boat. Bella and Emily were in her room and I could see Charlie walking Lonnie to the waiting cruiser.

"Mark has a few questions for you, but Bella said he pulled you back pretty hard. Are you hurt?" Sam handed me a towel and I started to dry off, thanking god it was a warm night.

"I'm a little banged up, but nothing major," I told him.

Deputy Mark walked over and I told him about how I knew Lonnie and what I'd seen tonight. While I was giving him the information I knew, Mark learned that he was on parole, so the trespassing on the boatyard and the positive blood-alcohol level were enough to have him serve the his full term, which I learned was twenty years.

It was almost two when I finished up and signed my statement, but I couldn't leave without knowing for myself that Bella was okay.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 16**

**BPOV**

I woke up that morning with a huge headache and a desire to go hide. Last night had been so insane, and I'm sure news was already getting around about what that guy had tried to do. It was still so surreal that something like that had happened to me, and in Forks of all places.

I knew that Charlie would be home this morning, so I decided to stop by the house and find out exactly what would be done about him.

After locking up my boat, I walked down the dock and over to the gate, and that is when I noticed Edward's truck was still parked next to mine.

Why was his truck still here?

Walking between them, I got my answer as I found him sound asleep against the steering wheel. Deciding to settle this once and for all, I opened his passenger door and climbed in, slamming the door hard enough to startle him awake.

Edward jumped back into his seat, looking over to me with a tired smile.

"Hi," was all he said, but I could tell he had a lot on his mind.

Taking a deep breath, I began to say my piece, "Edward, first I want to thank you for what you did last night. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if you hadn't thought something was up. But I wanted to tell you that you don't have to do this. I don't need you to make a habit out of saving me, because in the end all I'll be is an obligation to you, and I don't want to be a regret."

"You think I could regret saving you?" he asked, sounding hurt by the implication.

"I think you could eventually regret that it has to be you, because there aren't that many people around to want to step up. I just wish I knew what I did to offend you, or-"

"Bella, I think I have to stop you so that I can set some things straight for you. I'm being standoffish with you because of things that have nothing to do with you, except how much I want you. Jesus, you're kind of perfect for me and the fact that I'm not in the place I wanted to be so that I can be the man you deserve kills me. Seeing you so happy and knowing that I'm even the smallest part of your smile…"

Hearing him talk about me like that was a little shocking. I'd listened to Jasper and Emmett tell me that he liked me, but hearing him say it and then doubt himself in the same sentence was baffling. "Why don't you deserve me, Edward? I'm not some princess, or one of the daughter's of your parents' friends. I come from a working class father and a mother who couldn't hold down a job to save her life. I don't need diamonds and champagne, I need a man who'll let me be a part of decisions, and ask my opinion on things. Not someone who'll take away my choice in the matter, which is exactly what you did."

"Bella, my business is making money, but it isn't where I want it to be yet. I'm trying to fix up my house, because being a contractor that lives in a place that looks like it's about to fall over isn't a good selling point on your abilities, and I don't have the time or the money to do the things I'd like to do with you." He hung his head and again, I wanted to hit him.

"You have to eat, right? So we'll do low-key things at first. Hell, we can even put a little coffee can on my boat and throw in change to save up for fun things to do. We can make a list of things to do together and cross them off as we have the money. Believe me, I'm not getting rich working for Eleazar, and if you ever need an extra set of hands working on your house, let me know. The fact that you own a house is pretty impressive, by the way." How he couldn't see that baffled me.

"My mom bought it for me as a present when I opened up my business almost two years ago. It's an old Victorian in the middle of the woods just north of Forks. It was in foreclosure and she hoped it would be the start of a partnership, but I wasn't ready to take her money."

"Would you be willing to do it at some point down the line? Esme's a pretty big-time realtor around here, so if the two of you combined her realty business with your construction company to flip houses it could be a great thing, even if you only did a few flips a year and then kept doing the restorations and handyman projects that come up." I really hope he didn't think I was intruding.

"I'll make you a deal, once I'm done with my house, I'll go to my mom and see if she's still willing to partner up with me." Edward's smile was so big that I couldn't help but return it.

"Deal, but you have to let me help out. I love the idea of working on an old house and making it beautiful again," I said as I took his proffered hand and shook it.

"It's a date," he said half-jokingly, but I gripped his hand a little tighter and leaned in.

"No, that's a promise; the date is when you come over for dinner tonight."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 17**

**BPOV**

"Are you serious about tonight?" Edward almost choked on his words.

"Yeah, if you want to," I said, about to take them back when he pounced.

"I want to."

"Good, now I just have to talk to my dad to find out about what kind of damage control I'll have to do after last night. See you tonight." I reached for the door but Edward grabbed my hand.

"I was giving my statement to Deputy Mark last night, so I know a fair amount of it, and you're not being implicated in it unless they have to." Edward was watching me closely and I started to get nervous.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Lonnie, the guy who followed you, he was a felon. But it seems that last night he decided to break every condition of his parole so they were already in communication with his parole officer to have him moved back to jail to finish out the remainder of his sentence."

"How can they be so sure he'll definitely go back to prison?" Now my nervousness was turning into outright fear, this guy could come back after me.

"He wasn't supposed to be drinking, or going to bars, but my statement puts him at the bar and his breathalyzer test confirms it, then he trespassed on the Reservation and…"

"And what, Edward?"

"He didn't register his new address with the sex offender registry when he moved to Port Angeles, which pretty much sealed his fate on its own." Edward may have still been talking, but I stopped hearing him after he told me that Lonnie was a registered sex offender.

"Oh, my god ... he could have … I might have-"

"Bella, breathe," Edward said, taking my hands and pulling me closer to the center console. "You're safe now and I'm going to make damn sure you stay that way. No one is going to know about last night unless you tell them, but I'm not hanging up my cape now that you've agreed to a date."

"Thank you," I whispered as I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but Edward caught it as he leaned in to kiss me.

That kiss was what all first kisses should be. It was sweet and intense and just … fuck.

Then I heard the tapping on the glass.


	18. Chapter 18

Three chapters for you today, and as I'm close to 100 and 50 reviews on ffn and twcs respectively, I want to say thanks for overwhelming love and support on this one.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 18**

**BPOV**

What the fuck?!

I pulled away from Edward's perfect lips and found my dad standing by the passenger door to Edward's truck. I watched as the window rolled down and Charlie went into full Chief mode.

"Kind of early to be down here, don't you think, Son?"

"Well, Chief, I was down here with Mark until 2 a.m. and I was too tired to drive so I slept in my truck. Bella woke me up a little while ago when she saw me here." Edward was pretty cool talking to my dad, which was a huge turn on.

"Good to know," my dad stalled before he turned to me. "Lorenzo Jones is on his way back to jail as we speak, his parole was revoked and he'll be away for the next fourteen years after that stunt he pulled. Makes me extra happy that you moved onto the Reservation, because that was a big strike against him, it might even add to his sentence."

"Edward was filling me in, I told him that I was on my way to talk to you and he wanted me to be a little prepared." I was hoping to build Edward up in my dad's eyes because I wanted him to go along with my relationship with him and not interfere.

"I'm actually glad that he did because I didn't want you coming to the station with that scumbag there. And Edward, thank you for what you did last night. Your instincts kept my girl safe, and I can't say enough to tell you what that means."

"She's pretty important to me too, Chief. In fact, she just agreed to have dinner with me tonight on her boat. It isn't the fancy dinner she deserves, but—"

"You haven't tasted Bella's cooking yet," Charlie interrupted him, "tonight will be plenty fancy, trust me. You two have a good day."

I watched as Charlie just walked away, almost giving Edward his blessing … did that just happen?


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 19**

**BPOV**

Edward and I agreed to dinner at 6:30, so after he left I headed out to do some grocery shopping. I spent a good part of my morning in the Thriftway getting my regular items in addition to the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Once I was back at the marina, I loaded the cart Jake had gotten me as a boat-warming gift and brought all of my groceries out to the boat.

After putting away the food, I cleaned up and changed my sheets so I could do laundry while I was at Charlie's. With my laundry packed and the ingredients for dessert I drove back to town.

At Charlie's, I threw in a few loads of laundry and made some cookies and an apple pie. I wanted tonight to be perfect, so while my sheets were in the dryer, I took a long shower, giving myself plenty of time to dry my hair and get dressed.

I blew my hair straight and then stood in front of my closet and tried to pick out something to wear. I didn't have any dresses on the boat, and I wanted to dress up a little for him.

Taking out my tan shirt dress, I paired it with my leggings and a pair of ankle boots. I packed my laundry and put it and the baked goods in my truck and drove home.

Once home, I put everything back where it belonged and started cooking. I'd gotten pretty good at playing with recipes and tonight I was making one of them. I just hoped he liked it.

It was almost 6:30 when I heard the bell ring out on the dock. I walked out the sliding door to see Edward standing on the dock.

"Permission to come aboard?" he asked with a smirk.

"Get up here," I said just as I noticed the plant in his hand, "and what did you do?"

"I had to bring you something, so I thought bamboo would be easy to take care of on the boat." Edward handed it to me as he leaned in to kiss my cheek. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you, I hope you're hungry," I said as I led him inside.

"Starving," he admitted as I sat down my gift and started making up our plates. "What's for dinner?"

"Taco meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn. Oh, and I've got something special for dessert."

"Taco meatloaf?" he asked and my face fell.

"Is that too weird? Shit, I knew I should have just fried some chicken. I'll just put this away and order a pizza for-" I would have continued my downward spiral if Edward hadn't cut me off.

"Bella, stop. I'm sure that it'll be delicious; I was just a little confused. Now, tell me what you want to drink and I'll get that while you sit at the table." Edward gave me a quick peck before getting us both a beer and joining me at the table. I watched expectantly as he took his first bite and relaxed when he moaned at the taste. "This is so good."

"You really like it?" I asked, so happy to see him nod emphatically.

"I do, it's got a nice little kick to it," he said as dug in.

Edward and I ate and talked, clearing away a lot of the misunderstandings that had been between us. It felt so good to know that he wanted me like I did him, because for a while I was worried that there was something wrong with me and that no one would ever show any interest in me.

I watched excitedly as we sat out on the top deck and Edward told me about his house. How he and the guys from the Rez had redone all the siding and the roof, tore it down to the studs and replaced any that needed to be so that it was structurally sound and weatherproof. They'd even painted it a deep maroon color with golden and green accents to keep with the Victorian style of painting the exterior, or at least Edward said that's how it looked, because I wasn't allowed to see it yet.

Edward told me about his plans to redo the interior with traditional moldings and Victorian touches in the materials, but the colors and furnishings were going to be a bit more modern, marrying the styles together to make it homey. I may have pushed a little about seeing it, but he told me that he wanted to finish a few things before I got the grand tour.

"I finished modernizing the plumbing last weekend, and tomorrow night I'm going to start re-wiring the house. But I promise you'll be there for the sheetrock installation."

"Really, you'll let me help you?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll need the extra set of hands and you seem to enjoy doing all these types of projects. But we have to get you better books on the subject," he teased, obviously having heard about what I'd been reading at work.

"Oh hush, from now on I'll just call and ask you," I said with a playful smack of his chest. "Do you want some dessert?"

"What did you make?"

"Apple pie."

Edward's eyes darkened as he leaned in to kiss the corner of my mouth, "That sounds great, Bella, but right now I'd like something a little sweeter."

I was about to ask him what he wanted when he took it, kissing me deeply. His hands roamed my back as I settled myself on his lap. There wasn't anything frantic about the kiss; we took our time exploring each other for the first time. When we pulled back, Edward's forehead came to rest on mine as his breath fanned out across my shoulder.

"Let's go enjoy the dessert you baked," Edward whispered and then took my hand as he led me down the stairs.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 20**

**BPOV**

After my date with Edward, and the promise of another dinner at my place on Sunday, I got ready to work Friday afternoon to learn that they'd hired Irina's replacement. Maria was intense and practically had Jasper shackled to the front register with the endless string of questions she asked.

It seemed the customers could see that she was going to take forever, because I was swamped at the register in the lumber department. James didn't say a thing as he wheeled his cart up to the register and started loading the counter.

"Is Jasper ready to shoot himself yet?" I asked and he laughed.

"Pretty fucking close to it," he said as I began ringing him up. "What happened to you the other night, you ran off and then Edward was gone like five minutes later."

"I finally grew a set and asked her out." Edward's voice came from the wall by the sheetrock, putting a huge smile on my face.

"About fucking time," James exclaimed and clapped Edward on the back. "Don't make me hurt you, because if this girl cries one more time because of you…"

"Play nice, James, Edward explained why he was being distant and we're good now." I eyed my friend and he just grinned, handing me his credit card so I could charge him and then I got to work bagging the rest of his things.

James left a minute later and Edward leaned over the counter to kiss me. "What time do you go to lunch tomorrow?"

"Sometime between noon and two-thirty." I shrugged. "It all depends on Amun and Tanya's moods."

"Well, when they make up the schedule, call me. I'll bring you something from the diner and we can eat out in my truck."

"You're going to bring me lunch? How sweet." I kissed him as Jasper's whine signaled his entrance.

"I swear to fuck that she's the most annoying person in the goddamn world," he bitched as he hopped on the counter beside us. "You here for your wire?"

"Among other things." Edward took my hand, which earned a chortle from Jasper.

"Holy shit! Well, I guess Kate's fifty dollars richer." Jasper shook his head and Edward clutched at his chest.

"You bet that I'd take longer than I did to make my move?" Edward asked Jasper.

"No, I bet that Bella would have to go on a date with one of Kate's friends before you realized what you were about to lose. Kate said that Bella would wear you down without any deception," Jasper joked as he slid off the counter and walked towards the backroom to get Edward's order.

"It's kind of pathetic that the entire town had some idea that we both liked each other and weren't doing anything about it," Edward groaned.

"Small town," I said. "Just be thankful that Tanya doesn't know yet, because she'll be a pain in the ass when she does."

"If she gives you any trouble, tell me, and I'll straighten it out. She's well aware of what I don't feel for her. It's time she stops deluding herself." Edward walked to the center of the room and grabbed five five-gallon buckets of joint compound, loading them onto a trolley cart and rolling it over so I could charge him.

"Getting ready for my first big home renovation project?" I asked, putting in his special discount that he got from being Eleazar's godson.

"Yeah, I'm working Monday and Tuesday doing the finishing touches on the house in Port Angeles, then I have a laundry list of customers that have called with little handyman things. So I'll be around doing them the next few weeks, which means that I'll have more time to work on the house around clients."

"That's great," I responded as I took the credit card slip from him and Jasper reappeared with the wire for Edward. He signed the pick-up form and then pushed the cart out the back to where his truck was parked.

A few hours later, Edward called to figure out my schedule for the following week so he could arrange his handyman jobs and when I'd come over to work on the house. The call ended and I went to lay down, happy that we were moving forward so easily after our rough start.


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, so this wasn't supposed to happen today, but then I decided that I needed a little cheering up with all the holiday insanity and what better than a little love for/from my readers. I'll probably post Monday and Tuesday of next week...don't know how many you'll get, because I've been spoiling you a bit recently, but as I'm on chapter 114 in my writing (it'll be about 150-180 depending on my wordy tail) I figured I could be a little generous.

Thanks to banshee69 for review # 100 on ffn and Whisperwind of twcs for review # 50.

Love to team AGW in their many forms. And please go to my profile to see the link for the Sandy Relief charity. Donations are accepted thru 1/15/13, so you have plenty of time to get my second chapter of "I Think I Dreamed You into Life" along with some other amazing writing!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 21**

**BPOV**

Working Saturday always sucked, but when Edward pulled into the parking lot at 12:25 p.m. with my lunch, it made things better. I punched out at twelve-thirty and jogged out to his truck, ready to have some quality time with him today.

"How's the electrical coming?" I asked as he passed me my burger.

"Great, I started in the attic because it would be easier to be on the main levels once it got warmer, so I finished that this morning and I'm done with the master suite and the hall. I'm actually going to come back in with you and buy the rest of the switches and outlets for the rest of the house. But by dinner tomorrow, my house will have full electricity, even if the wires are all capped because there aren't any lighting fixtures yet."

"How long until you have the lighting installed?"

"Two weeks, probably. I have to sheetrock the house and then I can buy and hang the lights, but as long as the wires are protected then it isn't a problem." I watched as he wiped some ketchup off his cheek, finally realizing something I should have, or someone should have, a while ago.

"So you have a house with no electricity, you don't have any fixtures, so the pipes are sitting there unused until you get far enough in the remodel to finish the bathrooms, and the house is pretty much gutted on the inside. Where are you living?"

"I have an air mattress in the basement, and a porta potty with a sink. It's only been a few weeks since I took out the last bathroom in the basement so that I could move ahead with the remodel. I've been living in the basement since I started this work two months ago, but I'm at the point where it's just a shell so I'm living without." He shrugged like it was nothing, but it was a big deal.

"Where do you shower? Where do you eat? Do your parents know that you're living like that?" I asked too quickly for him to answer.

"Collin lets me use his bathroom when I drive him to and from work, and in a week or so it won't matter because I'll install the fixtures in the basement bathroom. I don't cook much so at the moment I'm living off of the diner or pre-cooked meals."

"Not anymore, you're staying with me until you're done," I said, almost daring him to question me.

"It's a sweet offer-" Edward started, but I cut him off.

"It isn't an offer, it's a demand. Pack a bag and I'll see you tonight," I countered.

"Bella, don't turn this into a fight. I'll see you tomorrow night at six-thirty." Neither one of us was backing down and I knew there was no way to get him to listen while he was being this stubborn, so I did the only thing left.

I got out of his truck.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 22**

**BPOV**

Walking back into work, Tanya was right there to start questioning me. "What were you doing out there with Edward?"

"It's none of your business," I shot back.

"Edward is my business," Tanya yelled but I wasn't the one to respond to her.

"Like hell I am," Edward shouted back. "Tanya, we've had this conversation more than once and now that I'm with Bella-"

"You're _with_ Bella?" Tanya shrieked.

"Yes, so I'd appreciate it if you finally moved on and found someone who will love you back. Because it isn't me," Edward finished telling her off only for Emmett to but in.

"Ooh, face," Emmett almost giggled as he watched this train wreck.

"Can we wrap up this episode of _The Young and the Restless_ and get back to work?" Amun asked, ending all the back and forth.

"Bella," Edward whispered, but I shook my head.

"If you want to talk, we'll do it on my boat once you have a bag packed, but if you think I'm going to smile and act like I'm not going to worry about you out there alone with no power or water then you don't know a damn thing about me. Now I have to punch back in before I'm late for work."

I stormed into the back and punched in, putting back on my god-awful vest and took over in the lumber department. Once lunches were done, Lizzie and Emmett switched back and forth between the main store and my room, but neither one of them mentioned my fight with Edward.

That night, I went home expecting to wallow, so I was a little shocked to see Edward sitting on the bow of my boat. I was assuming that he thought I was going to tell him to get lost, because he held up a duffle bag. "Can we talk now?"

"Sure."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 23**

**BPOV**

I let Edward in and then went to the fridge to dig out something for us to eat.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Edward blurted out and I stopped what I was doing.

"What about earlier are you sorry about?" I asked, resuming my search.

"I'm sorry that I didn't consider your feelings. It's been a long time since people have worried about me. My dad and I don't talk much, he thinks that I'm being stubborn about wanting to make it on my own, and we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. And my mom doesn't know what my house is like right now, otherwise she'd have me living in my childhood bedroom until the house is complete." Edward's expression was a little wistful, causing me to put down the Tupperware I'd decided on and took his hand.

"That's over now," I told him, "because I'm always going to worry about you. You're important to me and I don't like to think about you going without because you're trying to tough it out. Ask people for help, Edward. We love you, and we-"

"Love?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I love you, you big idiot, so will you please stop making me cry and try and work with me for a change?"

"I'll try. I'm not going to promise anything, because we've already established that I'm a fuck up, but I'll consider your reaction before I do anything. Now, would you like to see your present?" His face was all smiles again, but I was ready to hit him.

"You didn't have to buy me something, Edward," I scolded him, but he shook his head.

"Bella, you're going to need it if you're helping me, so just smile and say that you love it." I scowled as he ran outside to where he'd been sitting and returned with a teal box. I was about to ask what it was when I saw the writing on the side of the case.

"You bought me a drill?" I gasped.

"A Makita 18 volt lithium ion driver drill. I had to replace my old one a few months ago and I love mine, so I bought you the same one. That way you can keep up with me when we sheetrock, instead of using one of my spare drills that have batteries that won't hold a charge anymore."

"So it's just to use when I'm helping you?" I clarified.

"No, it's yours, but I hope you'll bring it along next week. In fact, if you don't have any plans, you can bring it along tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'm finishing up the electrical, but I thought you might want to come and learn a little about wiring so you can help explain things at work. Plus, I can give you the grand tour and talk to you about what we'll be doing when we sheetrock." Edward sat down the drill and cornered me next to the fridge. "I don't like it when you walk away from me like that. I don't want to screw this up before I've even had a chance to be with you."

"You haven't screwed anything up. And thank you," I added feeling the need to say it after all he'd just done.

"For what?" he asked immediately.

"Everything, but especially for not saying I love you back just because I said it. I know it's soon and I'd rather hear you say it on your own. Not as a response to me." It was the truth. I wasn't sure I would have believed it if he had said it tonight.

"It isn't that I don't care about you, but that's a big step. I don't want to say it until I know without a doubt I mean it," he confirmed.

I went back to the counter and made two plates of baked mac and cheese, heating it in the microwave so we could relax and eat. Edward kept looking at me like he wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what it was until we got up to watch some TV that he brought it up.

"The bench doesn't look like it folds out, so I was kind of wondering where I'd be sleeping?" Edward's eyes were staring at my bed the whole time he spoke.

"My bed is a full, so I thought we could share it. If you don't want to, I can fit on the bench out there-"

"No," Edward cut me off. "That's fine; I just didn't want to assume anything. But now that I know that I am staying back here, do you mind if I shower and change?"

"Sure, you know where the bathroom is, and I'll grab you a towel," I said, opening my closet to grab him what he'd need, I met him outside the door and then went into my bedroom to change, trying not to think about the fact that he was naked on the other side of a very thin wall.

Ten minutes later, Edward was back in my room as I searched for something to watch.

"Put on whatever you normally watch, I haven't had TV in so long that anything will be a welcome change."

"Do you have a cable hookup out there?" I asked, not knowing if the former owners had it set up.

"Yeah, I just never hooked it up because I can't use it right now," he explained as I settled on Storage Wars.

We watched a few episodes before we both started to doze off, so I turned off the TV and rolled over until I was lying on Edward's chest. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Sweetheart."


	24. Chapter 24

So the plan was a few chapters yesterday and a few today, but as you can see, that didn't happen. Here's a lump sum of what you would have gotten if the holidays hadn't tripped me up. Merry Christmas if you celebrate, happy Tuesday if you don't, and I will catch you on New Years Eve!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 24**

**BPOV**

Armed with my new drill and a cooler full of food, Edward and I drive over to his house, finally giving me the chance to see it. I gasped as we pulled into the driveway, the reality completely blowing away the image I had in my head. On the outside, you couldn't tell that it wasn't livable, but as Edward unlocked the front door, I saw just how much work needed to be done.

It was just a subfloor and the skeleton of the walls. I could see where rooms would be, but nothing was set at the moment, so I couldn't tell what each room was supposed to be. Edward came up behind me and started to lead me forward.

"This is going to be the living room," Edward gestured to the room to the left, "And this is the office. This door is the half bathroom and through this doorway will be the dining room."

"The kitchen?" I guessed of the room beside it.

"Yes, and then the pantry and laundry room through here." Edward brought me down into the basement and showed me the area he was going to set up as a workroom and then the spare bedroom and storage room. Moving up to the second floor he showed me the master suite and the two additional bedrooms and the second bathroom. But the attic is what surprised me. "When I was little, I'd play with Jasper a lot in the attic of his parents' house and it was some of the most fun I'd had. It was like a blank canvas and we could imagine it as anything we wanted. The beams will still be exposed and the pitch of the roof will make it a great play area for my kids someday. I divided it into another room so that anything that is stored up here will be out of sight, but this can be their area to let loose."

"You have a whole section of your house set aside for your future children?" I asked, my tears already spilling over.

"This is a house built for a family," Edward replied as he wiped away my tears.

"Let's start making it kid-proof then, shall we?" I joked and we returned to the first floor.

Edward had all the spots for the outlets, light switches, and fixtures marked, so he showed me how to install the junction boxes around the room and in the ceiling and then we got to work. With the two of us we had the kitchen and pantry done pretty quickly, and then we moved onto the rest of the floor.

Once the boxes were in place, we got out the wire and ran them from the various boxes we installed. I watched in fascination as he connected the wiring from the light boxes to the boxes that held the switches and then fed the wires through holes that led to the basement.

It was around lunch when we had the lower level wired, and we stopped to eat some sandwiches before moving into the basement.

The afternoon presented the challenge of connecting the wires to the circuit breaker, after feeding them through the beams in the ceiling. We repeated the process in the basement, needing far fewer junction boxes down on that level and once the house was fully wired, Edward stepped out to make a call.

"John Yorkie will be here in about forty-five minutes, so we can finish cleaning up and then leave when he's done," Edward told me as he returned to the basement.

"Who's that?" I asked. I knew he was Eric Yorkie's dad, but I had a feeling his job was something important to the project going forward.

"He's the building inspector; he has to see that the plumbing and the electrical work has been done according to the plans and the building code. He has to sign off that he saw the work before I can start to put up sheetrock and call to have the utilities turned back on."

"And he'll do it on a Sunday?" I knew this was a small town, but that seemed a little hard.

"I file a lot of permits for a lot of buildings in town, which equals money to him and his bosses, so he'll make a special trip for me. It doesn't hurt that I'm building a walk-in closet for his wife on Wednesday." Edward smirked as we moved to do some cleaning before the inspector got there.

It was seven-thirty by the time we left his house with the signed inspection papers in hand, so we just picked up a pizza on the way back to the marina. Dinner was uneventful, and by the time I finished my shower, Edward was already in bed, his towel hanging on the door knob to dry.

"Thank you for all the help today, I wouldn't have finished it until close to midnight without your help."

"You're welcome," I murmured against his lips. "I'm happy that I was able to speed things along for you."

"You're too good to me, Bella," he whispered, "let me be good for you."

I saw the longing in his eyes just as his hand slid up my thigh, leaving little question as to what he had just asked of me.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 25**

**BPOV**

"Yes, Edward…god, I want you."

"Fuck," he whispered in response as his lips crashed to mine.

Edward was all over, like he couldn't get enough of me fast enough, but when his hands worked my shirt off, it seemed to slow him down a little. But I didn't want slow, I needed Edward and I was going to make that known.

"Edward, please. Take me," I moaned, my voice filling the room.

With an intensity that was almost unnerving, Edward focused on what we both wanted. Clothes were discarded and new skin was worshiped before he moved on, finally retrieving a condom and removing the last barrier between us.

The sight of Edward naked was something I would never forget, but his weight above me was enough to distract me for now. He pressed against my entrance before pushing forward, sinking further within me until his hips met mine and we both held still to savor the feeling.

"Perfect," he sighed just before he started moving.

At first, Edward moved with purpose, every thrust was deliberate, every kiss, every touch. But soon my own movements spurred him on and he let go, doing exactly what I asked as he took me, claimed me as his. Which was fine by me.

"I'm close, baby," Edward breathed against my shoulder and I told him that I was right there with him a moment before I was overtaken by the most intense orgasm of my life.

Edward followed shortly after, staying in bed with me for a few moments before getting up to clean off. I snuggled further into the bed while he was gone, but I felt his body wrap around me when he returned to bed.

"Goodnight, my love," he whispered, thinking I was asleep.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 26**

**BPOV**

Monday and Tuesday were both incredibly busy, and the new girl wasn't helping matters. She seemed to have a thing for Jasper and even though he talked about Alice constantly, she wasn't dissuaded at all. I could tell this one would be trouble.

Our truck was particularly big on Monday, so it took us longer to put away, which meant I was sore as hell when I got home. Edward called to tell me he was running late in Port Angeles, so I reheated some leftovers and then got into bed and watched some TV.

I never heard Edward come in Monday night, but I woke up to his kisses the next morning, alerting me to a good mood.

"For someone who wasn't home until after 10 p.m., you sure are up early," I teased as I slipped out of bed.

"All the guys busted their asses yesterday and we finished ahead of schedule. The inspectors are happy, the homeowners love it, and I'm done. In fact, I called the two clients I had scheduled for Sunday and moved them to today, so that frees up some of my weekend." Edward looked so happy; I couldn't help but smile in return.

"That's great; the job in Port Angeles went well?" I asked.

"So much better than I could have hoped. I normally only do three major remodels a year, but I've already done that, and it's only July. I'm going to come out of this year having made more than last year and the extra money gives me the freedom to finish my house. People are starting to spend money on their homes again, and I've become a name that people around here know at exactly the right time."

"I'm so happy for you, Edward. I know the house has been a bit of a weight on you, so having the time this summer to finish it before moving onto your next big project will be such a relief." Knowing this had been an obstacle for Edward in so many ways, it was great to see him relaxing and seeing the fruits of his labor pay off.

"Okay, so I have a quick plumbing job, and then I need to fix my parents' deck this afternoon."

"You're working on your parents' house?" I was surprised he didn't mention it earlier.

"Yeah, a few of the boards need to be replaced so I'll put down the new planks and then seal it. I should be home for dinner at normal time."

"Is it silly that I'm ridiculously happy that we have a normal dinner time?" I asked.

"No, its adorable." he was grinning like a fool as he kissed me again. "You have to head to work, so go ahead and use the bathroom."

"Thanks, Edward." I climbed over him and showered, toasting a bagel to eat once I got to work.

After a few more minutes of running around and getting myself ready for a long day, I said goodbye to Edward, making sure he had the spare key to the sliding door.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 27**

**BPOV**

It was never a good thing to pull up to work and see Mark sitting in his cruiser.

"Deputy, what brings you here today?" I asked him as he rolled his window down.

"I need to talk to Eleazar or Amun, do you know when they'll be here?"

"Amun should pull up with his breakfast any minute, but Eleazar won't be here until at least ten," I explained.

"I guess Amun will have to do," Mark commented before he said what he'd obviously been thinking. "How well did you know Embry Call?"

"I knew him as one of the reasons for the insane drug questions they asked during my interview. He was high most days, but it seemed like it was mainly weed because he reeked of it." I was going to be honest, because everyone knew it.

"And they never fired him?" Mark seemed truly shocked by my news.

"Eleazar is the kind of guy who would have to catch you with your hands in the drawer, stuffing fifties in your pocket for him to fire you. This is a small pool of applicants, and he can't afford to be choosy."

"Well, he'll have to dip back into that pool, because Embry was arrested last night for selling dope."

I hung my head as I laughed at his stupidity. Of course he got caught. "Shit, that's one less person working this afternoon."

Just then, Amun pulled up, so I went to the door so that I could follow him in. Mark gave us a chance to open up before he went into the office with Amun, leaving me on the floor with Tyler and Alistair.

"Did you hear about Embry," Tyler asked and I nodded, the whole town would know by lunch.

The morning turned out to be really fucking frustrating, because Alistair walk up to all of my customers, talking himself up until he convinced them that he knew best. I just walked away before I hit him.

I was finally sent to lunch at 1:30 p.m., but what had me freaking out was the phone call I received ten minutes later.

"Hey, Dad," I said as soon as I answered the phone.

"Don't 'hey, Dad' me. Would you like to tell me why I almost shot Edward on your boat five minutes ago?" Charlie sounded pissed, but I was more worried about my boyfriend.

"Is Edward okay?"

"He's fine, now answer my question," he grumbled.

"While he's finishing the major work on the renovations of his house, he needed a place to stay, so I offered to let him crash with me. What were you doing on my boat to catch him there?"

"You said I could use the motorboat to fish, so I came to get it so Billy and I could go out and I heard the water running when I knew you work the full day. I drew my gun and waited for him to come out only to scare the shit out of the both of us."

"I'm sorry, Dad, if I knew you were going over there, I would have told you that Edward's staying there. He's doing some side jobs today and tomorrow and then I'm going to help him do some sheetrocking on Thursday and over the weekend." I decided to be completely honest with him.

"Edward was telling me that," my dad said before he started talking to who I assume was Edward in the background. "Bells, Edward said that if you wanted me to stay for dinner tonight, it was okay with him. I'm working the night shift, so I won't be crashing for long, but if you want me to use the boat and then scram, we can plan dinner for another night."

"No, that sounds great, Dad. Do you want me to cook what you catch, or should I make something different?" I asked, trying to think about what I could make.

"Fish is fine with me, how about you, Edward?" The two of them talked some more and then my dad was back. "Fish will work. See you at eight-thirty?"

"Works for me, but I better grab something to eat or I'm going to be starving by the time dinner comes."

"Okay, Bells," my dad said before he hung up.

I went back to work and the afternoon was even worse. If I had a nickel for every time I was told that I couldn't help someone because I was a young woman, I wouldn't need to work for Eleazar anymore. By the time eight p.m. came, I was ready to get the fuck out of there.

The drive home was fast, but the sound of my dad and my boyfriend laughing together was enough to erase my shitty day.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 28**

**BPOV**

"Bells, come over here," Charlie called as I boarded my boat.

"Hey, Dad, Edward, how were both of your days?" I asked as Edward handed me a beer.

"Nice, I had a talk with my mom after I finished the deck, which laid a little bit of the groundwork for what we discussed about moving the business forward." Edward was smiling and that made me happy. I knew he wanted to succeed on his own, but maybe he felt he'd done well enough that he could go to his mom as an equal and start a profitable partnership.

"Good, I'm glad you were able to talk to her about it. Now, if you'd just sit down and talk to your dad…"

"We have a ways to go before he'll forgive me for giving up on what he thought was best for me," Edward said as I went to pull the fish that Charlie had started out of the oven.

"Parents want what's best for their children, and I know you didn't follow in his footsteps, or go into a white-collar job, but you're respected around town for the work you do. In fact, there's a bunch of projects around my house that I'll never get to, and I'd like to hire you when it's convenient for you."

I looked at Charlie as he watched Edward for a reaction. "I'd be honored to fix up your house, Sir. I've got a few handyman projects lined up, the rest of which I'm going to divvy up between my guys, but after I finish my house I'll come over and work on yours."

"Good, now if you'll just knock off the 'sir' crap we'll be in business," my dad said, cutting through the tension.

We ate dinner, continuing to talk about Edward's work and I was thrilled that Charlie and Edward were bonding like they were because they're both important to me.

Charlie left around nine-thirty and Edward pulled out his laptop to look over his books. "Is everything okay?"

Edward nodded and closed his laptop, "Yeah, I was just talking to the guys today, and if we're going to make this work, they're going to be working with me a lot more. Jared and Paul are excited, because I'll still work around their security jobs as much as possible, and the young guys are excited because it's more money for when they go to school."

"How will they be able to swing both?" I asked, not really able to imagine working as hard as they do on the construction site, plus working other jobs.

"Jared and Paul work three ten hour shifts: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday graveyards. So we do most of our work during the week, because people want you to work while they're out of the house, they don't want you at their house while they're home with their families unless they really need the work done, so all that means is they'll be unavailable Monday's because they'll be coming off a weekend of nights, but the other four days I'll have my two most experienced guys with me.

"As for Collin and Brady, they've been working with me since I started on my own, mainly doing a few hours after school and my Saturday jobs, and Seth joined us this year. Collin and Brady have graduated, so they'll be around full-time and Seth will still be afternoons, so when we're starting to lose steam, the extra set of hands will show up. They all want to save up for college, because they know how expensive it is, so this is a decent paycheck for them. I take a cut of their hourly rate if they do a project on their own, or take the full value if I'm doing it myself, and that gets split between the business and me personally. So I technically make what my guys make, only when I do the job, its extra profit for the business."

I listened to him talk about how he worked his books and decided to tell him my idea instead of springing it on him. "Have you ever looked into grants for small businesses? Its free money that you could use to help pay some of the bills, like all the insurance you have to carry and the other overhead could be knocked out by them if you just know where to look."

"That's never been my thing, Bella. I don't know how to write proposals and fill out the paperwork to make it look right." Edward sighed, but I wasn't going to let him get down on himself.

"I'm great at it," I told him. "It's how Charlie's almost done with my college debt. I've done my mom's taxes since I was fourteen and I'm really good at understanding all of the rules and loopholes. Will you let me try and get you some extra money? It could help you be on more equal footing with your mom if you approach her about teaming up."

"How can I say no to you?" he whispered. "Go ahead and see what you can find, the worst thing they can do is reject the application. Oh, and can you do me a favor tomorrow while I'm working on Mrs. Yorkie's closet?"

"Sure, babe, what do you need?"

"I'm having the lumber yard deliver the sheetrock and the insulation in the afternoon, and the guys are going to move it into the house for us so it doesn't get rained on. What I need is for you to let them in and direct traffic for me. I'll give you a list of how much of what type of sheetrock has to go on each floor and then just lock it up when you're done."

"I can do that," I told him, glad that he trusted me.

"Okay, good, now let's forget about anything work related and just relax for the rest of the night," Edward said as he pulled me a little closer as we snuggled in bed.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 29**

**BPOV**

Tanya was a royal bitch at work, but thankfully, I was in the back looking at different designs for plumbing and lighting fixtures. Edward had handed me the folder along with the list for the sheetrock, asking for my opinions. He'd said that he was used to his customers making these decisions and he wanted to hear my thoughts on what he had chosen.

It was a little daunting, but as I started to break it up by room, it made it easier. Most of it was straightforward, basic toilets, basins, and fixtures for the full bath in the basement and the half bathroom on the main floor, but upstairs was where he'd had a little fun. The bathroom for the two front bedrooms had a whirlpool tub in the shower, which I'm sure would be amazing after a long day, and the master bathroom was completely unique. That was a room where Edward played with mixing the old and new, selecting a really modern stall shower, but he paired it with a clawfoot tub and a faucet that looked a little more old-world. The mix was just enough of the old and the new, and I could almost picture it complete. The lighting fixtures weren't really labeled except for the ones he'd chosen for the bathrooms and kitchen, so I hadn't really formed much of an opinion. I did manage to get Jasper's attention finally and asked him for some help.

"Jasper, is it possible to borrow the paint fandecks?" I asked.

"Sure, we have a few of them, so I can grab you a set, but remember we can match colors too," Jasper had a shit-eating grin on his face, so I just threw a carpenter's pencil at him as he walked over to the paint department to get me the books. He returned a minute later and sat them on the counter, smirking at me. "Picking out paint swatches and bathtubs? Man, once he got over his bullshit he sure didn't waste any time."

"Shut up, he asked for an opinion on the fixtures, and these I'm getting just to help him move forward." I took the paint swatches and stuck them in my purse, ignoring Jasper's stare.

"Bella, when a guy asks you to help him pick out what faucet to put in his master bath, it's because he's imagining you spending a lot of time there…naked," Jasper teased, barely holding in his laughter as Lizzie walked in.

"Hey, Sweetie, how's that man candy of yours?" Lizzie asked earning a cackle from Jasper.

"Edward's fine, Liz, but could you please stop encouraging Jasper's delusions that he's going to be pelting me with rice anytime soon?" I groaned as she gave me a one-armed hug.

"Bella, I have three sons, let me live vicariously through you a little bit," Lizzie asked, letting me know that she'd gone over to the dark side with Jasper.

"That's it, I have places to be and things to do, thank you both for not being helpful," I called out as I ran into the main store so I could hook around to the back room to punch out.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 30**

**BPOV**

Almost twenty minutes later, I pulled up to see Edward's guys already waiting beside a pile of sheetrock. It was propped up on two-by-fours and sitting on top of tarps, but it was only a matter of time before the rain started.

"Okay, guys, what do we have?" I yelled, seeing them gesture to the side entrance to the basement and then to the front door.

"They're unloading the last of the moisture board for the bathrooms and then we'll be set," Jared told me as he took the keys from me.

"Great, here are the counts Edward gave me. Do you guys want to bring the basement stuff in through the side and then just get the rest onto the main floor? Or do you think it's dumb to have to move it twice?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't be the one to do the lifting.

"No, let's get it all inside, then we can divvy it up," Paul agreed and then they started moving the moisture board inside first.

The driver finished unloading the last of it and I signed the paperwork after checking that it was all there. Jared tapped my shoulder and then jerked his head towards the house. "We're almost done; do you want to help us with the next step?"

"What next step? Edward said we were just getting it inside," I assumed that Edward would have called me if something had changed, but maybe not.

"We're surprising him. We know that he wants to have you work on this with him, but it would take you guys two and a half to three days to do it by yourself, so we figured we'd give you a few hours of our time today. With six of us working, we should be able to get you done with the top two floors at least by the time he realizes he hasn't heard from you."

With a broad smile plastered on my face, I ran towards the basement. "Let me get my drill and I'll meet you in the attic."

And that's exactly what we did.

For the next five hours we hung the sheetrock in the attic, the entire second floor, and did the staircases going down to the first floor and basement, not to mention going up the stairs coming down of the attic. Having all the extra hands made it easy work, if not physically demanding, but Jared and Paul gave me plenty of pointers so when Edward and I went to finish the job tomorrow, I'd be a bigger help.

Just as Jared had guessed, Edward had finished his own sheetrocking over at John Yorkie's house and called to see how things went at his house. Trying to be sneaky, I told him that I had lost track of time and asked him to meet me at his house.

It took a while, but I heard his truck pull up outside, so I ran out to meet him before he could ruin the surprise. "Hey, Sweetheart, what's going on?"

"Close your eyes, I have a surprise for you," I said, making sure that he'd done it before I led him into the house, closing the door behind us. Guiding him up two flights of stairs to the attic, I spun him so he was facing the front of the house and then whispered, "Open your eyes."

I heard him gasp as he looked around, walking to the doorway to the storage room before he said anything. "How did you manage all of this?"

"I'm not done yet," I told him, leading him down to the second floor and earning a strangled sound as he ducked in all the rooms to see that the sheetrock had been hung already.

"Bella, I don't understand…" Edward trailed off and he looked like he was getting choked up.

"The guys didn't have plans for the afternoon, so they schemed to do this, and Jared asked if I wanted to stay. He taught me how to hang the sheetrock properly and we worked in three teams of two and got this done in about five hours. We also did the stairways because they said those were a pain in the ass. So all that's left are the lower two floors and then taping and finishing." I was proud that I was able to share this news with him and help him get his house that much further along.

"Bella, I love you so much. I need you to know what you mean to me, and what this means to me. Having someone share this love with me and be so willing to dig in and be a partner in it…it's more than I could have ever hoped for." The emotions were back in his eyes and in the slight tremor in his voice, but my lips quickly masked it as I kissed him, pouring my love for him into the kiss.

"Let's go home, Edward, and maybe you can give me a little massage because that sheetrock was heavy," I teased him, but he was quick to promise me a lot more than a massage, which got me moving towards the door.


	31. Chapter 31

This is two little chapters to enjoy before the New Year's festivities begin. More tomorrow...Happy New Years to everyone, thank you for sticking with me through another year of fic!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 31**

**BPOV**

If I thought I was sore yesterday, it was nothing compared to today. Edward and I spent the day finishing up the hang, and then we went through the house to tape and put the first layer of joint compound on. Edward explained that it would have to dry at least overnight before we could come in and do the next coat, and for the inside corners of each room, it would be a week before they were complete because he had to let one side dry before doing the other side. While it was a pain, it gave him time to finish the jobs he had lined up and order all the plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, and the tile for the bathrooms and the kitchen floor. The kitchen cabinets were already ordered, so by next week when the drywall was ready, he was really going to be humming.

I mentioned the paint swatches to him and he told me that we'd look them over after dinner, which sounded great to me.

I was standing at the stove about to dump the pasta when Edward came in.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked as he slid in behind me.

"I was going to start researching grant information before work, and then I was going to ask Amun how to mix paint during my shift on Sunday."

"So the paint will be personally mixed by you? I like that," Edward said as he moved, letting me finish up dinner.

Another night was spent lounging around in bed, but this time we were staring at paint chips and the various lighting and plumbing options. Edward wanted to order it tomorrow so it would be on the truck that came in this week, and I totally agreed with that plan.

"Where are you getting the clawfoot bathtub?" I asked, because I knew it wasn't from us.

"Home Depot, it'll be delivered with the tile and the cabinets," he said, and I gasped in mock horror.

"Buying from Big Orange, I can't believe you," I shook my head, but Edward was already pulling me to him to tickle the hell out of me.

"If I could buy tile and all of this from your store I would," he told me and I leaned up to place a peck on his lips.

"I know, and I'm telling you right now, get the primer there too," I warned him. My discount wasn't great on paint so there wasn't a difference between Edward's discount and mine when it came to that purchase, so I didn't feel too bad about what I was scheming.

We finally had selected all of the paint colors and I made a list of the quantities I would need to make. Now, I just needed someone to teach me.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language and lemons.

**Chapter 32**

**BPOV**

August was finally here and the weather was starting to act the way it was suppose to, so I was baking in Edward's house as we worked. The sheetrock was done and so was the priming, so I mixed and paid for all the paint for the house, knowing that we were going to be working on it next. Once the bathrooms were painted, Edward was getting the guys in to help tile them, and then to install the cabinets so the house could finally take shape. It was odd how so many things were interconnected. We had to paint in the bathrooms and kitchen before the cabinets could go in, and the tile couldn't be finished until the cabinets were completed. All I could think was I was so looking forward to the day I could use one of the three and a half baths this house would have.

I mixed all the paint myself and filled up the bed of my truck with the cans and then drove to Edward's house, knowing that I had the next day and a half to help him paint some of the rooms.

The guys were there, having finished the prep now that the ceilings were done, so I started handing them boxes of paint when Edward came out. "What's all this?"

"The paint you asked me to mix?" I told him, but it came out more like a question than a statement.

"Okay, I'll go in and bug Emmett when I pay the bill for it," he said, taking the last case from me.

"You can visit Emmett if you want, but the bill's been settled." I hopped off the back of the truck just in time to see Edward stop in his tracks.

"What did you do?" he asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.

"I bought the paint," I stated plainly.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, his anger starting to flair, but I wasn't going to take it this time.

"You really have to make up your mind, once and for all, about what we're doing here," I yelled at him, making the five men standing on the porch whisper their goodbyes as they headed to their cars and drove off, leaving us alone.

"What do you mean?" he responded, but I stormed into the house, forcing him to follow me.

"You stood here two weeks ago and told me what it meant that I loved helping you with this and that I wanted to work beside you, and then you freak out because I pay for some of the paint? You said you loved me," I pushed past the break in my voice as I continued to yell at him, "you ask for my opinions and tell me stories about children playing in the attic, and I think I'm meant to be a part of that. Am I? Because if you think that I'm not going to contribute to things in every way possible in the future then I don't know where this could possibly go."

I could feel the angry tears spilling over and I wanted nothing more than to run away and regroup, but Edward put down the paint and pulled me into his arms.

"You're right, Sweetheart," he whispered as he rubbed slow circles on my back. "I'm so used to doing it on my own that it feels like an attack when someone tries to help, but I know that isn't what you're doing. Forgive me, Bella."

"You're forgiven," I whimpered into his shoulder. "Just try to remember I'm on your side. No more friendly fire, okay?"

That got a chuckle out of him. "Deal. Now, how about we crack open some of that paint and work on the bathrooms?"

"Oh, thank goodness. I'm telling you, Edward, the day they take that porta potty away for good will be the happiest day of my life!"


	33. Chapter 33

**Here are the chapters that were going to go up yesterday, plus a little more because I was late. Enjoy and I will see you over the weekend.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.**

**Chapter 33**

**BPOV**

Thinking over what was now a month since Edward and I had agreed to our first date, it was definitely a busy time. We painted the four bathrooms where there would be no tile and the kitchen save for where the cabinets would go, and then started moving into the other areas of the house. The attic was easy, as Edward chose a cream to offset the deep color of the stained wood. From there we painted the two spare bedrooms, one a soft yellow and the other in a green. The master suite was all done in blues, so the three main walls were a slightly darker blue than was used in the bathroom, leaving a deep blue to decorate the accent wall.

The lower two floors were mostly done in subdued tans, oranges and yellows. Even without the trim that would be coming in soon and the furniture, it was cozy feeling.

Edward was over at the house with his crew today, because the shipments from Home Depot were arriving, so tile, cabinets, and a lot of our larger fixtures were arriving. Edward refused to discuss the concept of furniture yet, but I knew that soon we'd have a lot more shopping to do.

I was happy that the delivery was coming in on a Wednesday, because it meant that I was going to get to be there for the second half of the work day.

Leaving work, I drove to the house and heard the movement going on inside. The guys were working in pairs again, so Jared and Seth were cutting tile for one of the bathrooms, Paul and Collin were in the half bath measuring the tile so that it could be cut next, and Edward and Brady were in the kitchen installing the cabinets. Deciding I'd be in the way the least in the kitchen, I walked back there to say hi.

"Where do you need me, Boss?" I teased and Edward was looking at me with a crooked grin.

"Brady, Jared should be almost done cutting the tile for the master bathroom, do you want to take over so that he and Seth can start laying it down?"

"Sounds good," Brady said, leaving the two of us alone.

"Okay, Bella, come here and help me finish moving these cabinets into place." He gestured to the piece he was holding, so I slid in to help him.

It took us another ninety minutes before the last corner of the cabinets were installed. The doors were still in the packaging, but it was great to see how the room would eventually take shape.

"How has the rest of the morning gone?" I asked as we headed back into the living room so Edward could check on the work going on in the main room. Paul and Collin were working closely in the half bathroom while Jared and Seth were busy in the master bath.

"Nice, the bathroom in the basement was tiled earlier because it required the fewest cuts, so they could start it right away. It's why I spent the time marking the floor after I picked the tile; they just had to double check the cuts that had to be done and then work on them while the thin set was mixed. Brady and I were in the kitchen doing the cabinets while the four of them worked on two bathrooms at a time. Now they're almost done upstairs, downstairs is completely finished and this one bathroom is all that's left."

"When are you going to lay the tile in the kitchen?" I asked, knowing that they'd been here since seven because the delivery truck had been scheduled for eight a.m.

"The guys are going to stay and lay the kitchen tile in a while, and you're welcome to stay, but my mom's been bugging me to come over for a family dinner, so I have to head back to the boat and change." Edward looked worried as he told me this, but I knew he was still working towards being closer to his parents again.

"That's fine, I'll see if I can get Jared to hand me the trowel and we'll finish all the floors tonight. Tomorrow we can grout the tiles and move onto something else." I waited to see if he had any ideas, but he seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Yeah, I have all the measurements for the walls in the two upstairs bathrooms, so we can cut that tile and then paint the rest of the trim. We can hang that next and then we'll be ready for the rest of the flooring." He smiled as he said goodnight to the guys, but there was still something wrong.

"I'll see you tonight, right?" I asked.

"Of course, I'll be home after dinner." With a kiss, Edward was gone and I headed over to where Paul was leaving the half bath.

"Before we start in the kitchen, we can set up the last of the trim in the living room. That way it can dry while we're working on other things." Paul was gauging my mood, but I knew Edward would talk to me when he was ready.

"Sure. You'll call me over when you start tiling, right?" I asked, because it really did fascinate me.

"Totally, we'll send the kids to paint and we'll work out from the center of the room so it's done sooner." Paul winked and that had me giggling at the big dope.

For the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, I worked with the guys to finish our projects for the day. A good portion of the molding had been painted and the last of the tile floor had been done. Tomorrow we could grout the rooms throughout the day and put in some of the touches that would make this house a home. I knew at least a few of the lighting fixtures would get hung, so we didn't have to rely solely on the work lights, and that was another fun project to look forward to.

We ordered pizza, and by seven thirty we were eating, the molding having been forgotten for the moment in the living room. An hour later, we had everything cleaned up and the house was locked, letting me head home to wait for Edward.

I heard him call out for me from inside the shower, so I changed into my pajamas and met him in the bedroom only to see an upset looking Edward.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 34**

**BPOV**

Edward stood from where he'd been seated on my bed, his head already shaking, like he was going to play this off. "Nothing, Bella, just an argument with my father."

"Tell me," I pleaded, wanting to help him.

"It's stupid, really. I was talking to my mom before he got home and I started to talk to her about the work we were doing on the house, and that I was showing even more growth and profit this year. It's still small, but I'm able to have my crew working steady shifts and I was able to get a loan to finally do the remodel."

"Wait," I asked, because that was news to me. "You took out a loan to do the work on the house?"

Edward nodded. "I got a good rate on a home equity loan and my monthly payments are manageable. In fact, once everything is done I'll be able to pay a little more than I owe and hopefully cut a few years off the end."

"Okay, so was your mom upset about the loan?"

"No. She understood it, and when I told her the terms and what my budget was for the renovation she was pleased, though she was upset that I hadn't told her I'd started the work on the house. We had a nice conversation and I told her that I wanted to talk to her in a few weeks when I was closer to being done about an idea I had and she was excited. Then my dad came home." There was something ominous about how he said it, causing me to take his hand and keep him from pacing, which I knew would begin soon.

We sat back on the bed as Edward squeezed my hands. "He was just so negative about the whole thing. The entire time he kept saying that my mother bought me this gift and I was risking it on a paycheck I didn't know was coming, and that I was using my crew to do free work on the house instead of having money coming in from paying jobs. There were no questions asked about how I was managing it, or if we had other jobs, he assumed that we couldn't multitask.

"I have small jobs all over town and he doesn't realize it. People aren't building new houses, they're buying fixer-uppers and then a lot of them are getting people like me to do most of the projects over time. There are a few people I've been working for since I started my company. My mom referred a few of her clients to me, saying I'd been working with a big-time contractor around Seattle and was moving closer to home. They don't have thousands of dollars to tear through it all at once so I did the most important things and we have a list of projects that we've discussed and they call me and ask me to start on the next one."

"That's great; it means that you have a good return business, and that you have steady work. I don't understand why your dad won't give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's because even when I was across the country from him, Charlie was always my sounding board and he was the one that took out the college loans with me. He had faith in me and now we're closer than ever. Hopefully, your dad will see what you've been able to do once you start working with your mom."

"I hope so." Edward sighed. "You make it sound like your dad has your college loans paid off?"

"He does. He only had to take out two loans, one for my junior year and one for my senior year. The two combined were only $7500. Mine was $2500. He helped me pay off mine first, and then he dipped into his savings to finish paying his off in the past few months. He won't even let me pay him back what he put towards my loan, which is frustrating to me."

"Charlie's a great man," Edward whispered beside me.

"So are you, Edward, and we're going to prove it to your father." Leaning up to kiss his cheek, Edward turned to meet my lips.

"I don't need to prove it to him, as long as you believe it, then I'm content." His eyes held so much emotion as he looked at me. "We've been managing pretty well since I moved in here, right?"

"Yeah, it's been easy to live with you for the most part, and the little things we work out between us. I'm actually sad that you'll be heading back to the big house soon."

"What if I don't go back alone? Move in with me?"

I gasped, but there wasn't much to think about. "Yes."


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 35**

**BPOV**

Edward had me pinned to the bed as soon as I'd given him my answer, but his eyes held mine. "Thank you, it'll be so much better having you with me every night. I know it's going to take us a while to make it really homey, but we can do it."

"I know we can, I've always believed in you," I whispered as Edward started to light fires between us.

Since our first time, I'd explained to him that I wasn't on birth control, so he was very vigilant with keeping track of how many condoms we had left. And tonight, just like all the others, feeling him sink into me was the best thing in the world. Edward wasn't like past boyfriends who wanted to get theirs and then maybe think about me, his sole focus was on making me climax first.

He always put me first.

That night as he fell asleep, my mind wandered and I picked myself out of bed to play with the grant applications I'd printed out.

Finding ones that would work for Edward's business were difficult, but even if expenses he needed to have employees could be taken care of it would give him more room to grow his company into what it could be. The proposals were easy for me to write, having taken enough writing courses for my English degree, and before I knew it, Edward was kissing my temple after making a trip to the bathroom.

"Baby, it's almost one a.m., what are you doing out here?"

"I'm working on one of the grant proposals I need to submit. I have five different ones completed, I just need you to review the proposals and then give me the financial information that I'll need for the application." I looked up to see him reading it over my shoulder.

"Print it out in the morning and I'll read it before we head to the house, but right now I want you back in bed." Edward tugged lightly on my ponytail and I closed out my computer so that I could join him in bed, ready to see what tomorrow would bring.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 36**

**BPOV**

I nervously watched as Edward read over the proposals, unable to eat until he gave me his opinion. Finally, he looked up from the last paper with an awed expression. "You make me sound so capable. Cullen Construction is a diamond in the rough that just needs the funds to move it to the next level according to your words."

"It's the truth. And I'm hoping that at least one of these will respond positively. It can take a few months, so the money will likely go towards next year, in fact two of them clearly state they are for money issued in January, but it could help," I explained. "Like this one is to help with proper insurance for employees, so it would cover the health insurance plan you offer your employees, plus the added workman's compensation, and the various other policies because it's a construction company. I've already been in contact with the offices that handle these grants and we'll see what we can get."

"I love this, and tonight we can fill out the applications and I can either print out, or go to my storage space and get the paperwork you need. I know you've been working on these for a few weeks-"

"I actually started looking into them after that conversation we had in the car the night after everything with Lonnie. I was hoping to make a little peace offering but it worked itself into the conversation naturally, so I just had to keep working at it."

"I don't know how I got so lucky," Edward shook his head, "but I'm so fucking grateful for you."

"Well, why don't you finish getting ready and I'll eat my breakfast so we can get to work." Edward kissed the top of my head on his way out of the room and soon we were ready to drive over to what would soon be our home.


	37. Chapter 37

Here's your update for the weekend. Love to mizzdee who is trying to get thru a stack of MASHward chapters I sent her, two weeks and I'll be on your turf lady!

Also, a shoutout to troberts for being review #100 on twcs, and Xox Crazy-Daisy Oxo for being review #200 on ffn.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 37**

**BPOV**

We started the morning grouting the first two bathrooms, and then we took the trim that had been painted the day before and were able to do the baseboard and crown molding in the living room and the dining room. Because it had been measured and cut before the guys and I painted it, all we had to do today was hang it, which made the process easier.

Edward and I went to Charlie's to make lunch, and throw in some laundry. We had made plans to eat with Charlie for dinner, so we could finish up the loads we were leaving there when we came back, excited to do some more work.

Edward and I hung the chair rail in the dining room and finished off the rest of the main floor, and then added the trim going down into the basement and then did the baseboards down there. By mid-afternoon, it was time to grout the other bathrooms and then Edward and I did the baseboards in the hallway and the two other bedrooms. Our final project of the day was grouting the kitchen tile and then we drove over to Charlie's again.

"I can't believe we got so much done today, when you look up these projects online they say they take most of the day, but we knocked them out so much quicker." I was currently looking over Edward's checklist of all the things we'd accomplished.

"There are two things you need to realize about those time frames on do-it-yourself sites, first, they're expecting someone with a basic knowledge of how to do things, if that. Also, those times are start to finish. If we had plain baseboards when we walked in this morning then it might have taken us six to eight hours to do the living room and dining room. But we would have been cutting, painting, allowing them to dry, and then hanging them. You guys had done most of that yesterday or a couple of days ago when they were there alone. So for us to just hang them, when one of us is a professional and has a nail gun, it takes a lot of the time out of it." Edward's hand reached across the console of his truck to take mine. "It doesn't hurt that we work so well together too."

Blushing, I squeezed his hand as we turned onto my dad's block. His cruiser wasn't there, so I happily let Edward in with me and got to work in the kitchen.

"Why don't you take some of your clean clothes and jump in the shower? Once dinner's in the oven I'm going to take advantage of the water pressure." I winked at Edward, who dug out a change of clothes and headed upstairs.

I boiled the water for the pasta and reheated the sauce I'd made and stuck in the back of Charlie's fridge the other day when I'd come over to wash our towels and sheets. I'd learned quick that it was easier to break laundry up so that I didn't have to forfeit an entire day at Charlie's doing it.

The baked ziti was thrown together and the clothes had been moved, leaving one load in the washer, which I would turn on as soon as I was out of the shower.

Edward came down and I ran up to take my turn, hoping that Charlie wouldn't get home in the meantime. I was only in the bathroom for fifteen minutes, but of course, Charlie was sitting with Edward in the living room when I came down. I added my clothes from today to the washer and started it, taking a moment to check on dinner before I did the same with my boys.

"I know you've got her best interest at heart, so I'm not going to question what you two do. Bella was an adult at the age of twelve, and that was mostly her mother's fault. But Bella has always been old for her years and it made my job easier to have a child that was being responsible. She'll keep you on your toes, Edward, I won't lie to you and say that she won't, but there isn't a better person to have on your side than my Bella." I got choked up at Charlie's praise, he wasn't one to get emotional often, and I knew that Edward needed an example of a positive father figure at the moment.

"I think you should take a lot more credit for Bella than you do. She's strong and smart, and she has a good head on her shoulders and a lot of that comes from you. My father isn't my biggest fan, but Bella knowing that you were always behind her let her push herself harder. She told me last night that she always knew you had faith in her." Charlie surprised me when he gripped Edward's shoulder after he'd finished talking.

"Son, sometimes parents see more for their children than they want, and it may take him a while to come around, but Carlisle loves you so let him come around in his own time. There's no point in trying to force him to see what's in front of him, his eyes will open when he's ready to see." I heard coughing and throat clearing, so I knew Charlie was done dispensing pearls of wisdom.

"Dinner should be ready in about a half hour," I called from beyond the archway.

"It smells good, Bells, what you cooking," Charlie asked from the living room.

"Baked ziti, I'm going to get working on the salad and garlic bread," I answered, leaving the boys to their talk.


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.**

**Chapter 38**

**BPOV**

The next several days passed and Edward and his guys worked a few side jobs while still getting most of the strenuous work done. They'd installed the showers and tubs, tiled the walls in the two bathrooms that needed it, and installed the countertops. The flooring had been ordered, so that was the next big project, but first, Edward came in right before my shift ended and bought several sink traps and supply lines for toilets and faucets.

"What's all this, Edward?"

"The porta potty was removed this morning, so I think we should get moving on the last of the plumbing. Oh, and I left a few of the lighting fixtures for you to hang, so you can cross that off your personal list of projects." Edward was smirking at me, but our private moment was cut short.

"So you're the source of our Isabella's education?" Eleazar asked.

"Yes, you should see the work she's done at my house. In fact, once I have the pictures organized, I'll show you the work we've done together," Edward said firmly but respectfully.

"That's good to hear, your house has sat unfinished for too long. And it seems you've found a kindred spirit in Isabella, so it makes things easier. I'm glad for both of you." I could see the sincerity in Eleazar's eyes and I was a little surprised considering the feelings that his daughter had for Edward.

"Thank you, Eleazar," I responded, but he saw something in Edward's expression that made him continue.

"Edward, I know that we tried to push you and Tanya together when you were little, and it's still something Carlisle wished had happened more than any of us, but you're two very different people, and my daughter doesn't like picking up a hammer to ring it up at the register. I have no illusions about the fact that she is more her mother than any of my other children. You and Jasper are like the sons I never had, so if you're happy, then that's all I can ask for. And with his girlfriend on her way back from New York any day, his moodiness will fade and this place will be happy again." Eleazar turned to leave, only to come face to face with Jasper.

"I'm moody because of that psychotic girl you put behind the register to replace Irina. If she doesn't stop it, it'll be a sexual harassment claim," Jasper grumbled, but Eleazar rolled his eyes.

"You're a manager here, Jasper; find a way to respectfully get her to realize you're not available. I can't fire every girl that has a crush on you, or any guy that doesn't return my daughters feelings, there just aren't enough people living in Forks."

Jasper skulked off, and Kate walked in at that moment, relieving me so that I could head out with Edward.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 39**

**BPOV**

I never thought I would be so happy to see water fill a toilet as I was when the master bathroom had running water. Edward and I had hooked up all of the sinks and toilets, turning on the water so that we were ready to use the bathrooms. I learned that afternoon that the reason there was a bend in those pipes called a trap, was to trap water so that the gas and fumes from the sewer or septic tank couldn't leak into the house.

I also wired the bathroom lights, making all of the electrical work complete. With everything functioning and all that was left to do was install the flooring and the appliances, all of which were coming tomorrow. Mr. Yorkie made another trip to sign off on the new work so that the appliances could be installed and the house could be finished. The flooring could be done without the inspection because it was covered under a previous one, but as everything was on the same truck, we had to wait.

After taking advantage of the newly working showers we headed home, having planned to start looking for furniture ideas, trying to find thrifty and beautiful things for the house. Edward kept telling me that his main goal was to outfit the bedroom, living room, get us a dining room table, and begin his office, everything else could wait.

I knew that we didn't have to worry about the other rooms right away, but I was hoping that we'd have the opportunity to add to it over time.

Edward and I were walking towards the dock when I saw movement by my boat. I was behind Edward before I could speak, but his protectiveness wasn't needed as the creeper revealed herself to us.

"Where have you been?" Alice almost tackled me as she ran up to us.

"Working on Edward's house," I told her, but he was quick to correct me.

"Our house, Bella," he said with a gleam in his eyes.

"Wow, I go home for the summer and you two are already living together? Good for you," she said as she kept her hold on me.

"If you're back in town, why aren't you with Jasper right now?" I asked, because honestly, I had no idea why she was staking out my boat.

"His phone is off and I can't find him," she pouted.

"That isn't unusual, he's probably hunting with his dad and the McCarty men," Edward supplied, easing the tension in Alice's posture.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, they like to get one more hunt in before all of the weekend hunters make the last few weekends of the summer impossible," Edward explained, and Jasper's schedule changes made sense.

"That's why he and Emmett got coverage for Thursday and Friday? Well, I guess it makes sense, because we all thought you were coming home on Saturday night," I added, remembering Jasper's rambling about his girl flying in on the one night where he didn't have an early wakeup call the next day.

"I feel better hearing that," she admitted, "he's been weird the last couple of weeks and I can't figure it out."

"Has he mentioned Maria to you?" I asked, knowing that it was better she knew that we all saw that bitch's crazy before she met her.

"Yes, and that heifer irritates the shit out of me and I haven't even met her, yet," Alice huffed as we started walking towards the boat.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 40**

**BPOV**

"Alice, you're welcome to hang out with us for a while, but there isn't much room to crash on the boat," I told her and she smiled.

"I'm staying with the Denali's, but tonight Kate is crashing at Garrett's. They drove me to the long-term parking lot where I'd stored my car over the summer and then went their own way." Alice looked a little sad as she said it, but I was surprised that Edward beat me to offering her an alternative.

"Alice, my air mattress is onboard, so if you and Bella are okay with sharing the bed, I'll sleep on the top deck. That way you don't feel weird staying with Kate's family without her there."

"I don't want to intrude-" she started, but I waved her off.

"You aren't," I silenced her argument. "We're looking at furniture on different sites, trying to figure out what we might splurge on and where we're going to buy second hand."

"You two are ridiculously cute, but as long as I'm not ruining your night, then I'd like to stay," she admitted.

And that was how we spent the rest of the night, looking at the different rooms and trying to decide on a basic idea of what we'd like so we could move from there.

Edward went outside, leaving Alice and I alone to have some girl time, which I'd been woefully low on recently.

"Does he really act like he can't stand her?" Alice asked once the lights were off and she didn't have to see my reaction.

"He does. She is so forward and all he keeps telling her is he has a girlfriend, he's in a committed relationship, but I think she has brain damage because it isn't sinking in." I laughed a little, and Alice joined in.

"Thank you, Bella. I was worried going home for the summer, but I didn't have a choice. I'm in college housing so I couldn't hang around, and my parents would have seriously freaked if I had tried." Another sigh had her drifting off, so I let her go to sleep, hoping Jasper's return would ease her mind.


	41. Chapter 41

Here's the latest group. Huge thanks to everyone for the support. Work has been insane since the start of 2013, but I'm getting more writing done than ever and I'm excited for what's going on and can't wait for you to see it! This one is tiny, but there's more to come after it~

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 41**

**BPOV**

Another week had the carpet and hardwood being installed, something I stayed clear out of the way for, and the appliances were hooked up. The final inspection was signed off on and the house was thankfully complete on the inside. Edward wanted to build a carport, as the house was built in a clearing and it was the one place around where you could look up and see the sky without the dense tree cover. So that was another thing we had to wait for after he ordered it, but he assured me that by mid-October there wouldn't be a scrap of work left to do.

Edward mentioned that his mother was nagging him about some barbeque they were throwing, but he wasn't sure he was going to go. I offered to go with him, but it seemed that half the store was invited, so there was no one to cover me. I told Edward to go, if only to talk to his mother about possibly expanding his company to include her real estate knowledge to flip houses, and he was finally considering it.

The other major thing I did was call Sue and explain to her that while I loved living on the boat, I would be moving out by October 1st. While she was sad to see me leave, she understood that I was moving on to something better and wished me the best.

Thursday evening, Edward told me that he spoke to his mother and agreed to go to the barbeque at the Cullen house, but that he couldn't stay late because he had other plans. I was happy that he was able to take that first step towards really making things right with his parents.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 42 **

**BPOV**

Saturday was crazy with everyone swapping their days, making the day seem that much longer. Lauren was back in the Lumber Department and Maria was at the front register, leaving Lizzie and I on the floor with the guys. The one problem with that was most of the customers gave me the 'you're a woman, you wouldn't know' look.

The day progressed at this infuriating rate until Amun got a phone call at four with an order for the big Weber grill we'd gotten in to be delivered. It took Amun about an hour to build it and then we strapped it into the back of my truck.

"The house is just south of Forks on one-oh-one. The entrance is the third of those long drives and they said it's marked with balloons as they're having a party. Eleazar said that Emmett and Jasper are there, so they'll help you unload it. After the delivery you're free for the day because we'd be closing by the time you got back."

"Thanks, Amun, I'll see you on Monday," I said as I drove off.

I knew exactly whose house this was and it didn't take me long to find it once I got outside of town. I hated that we had to wear our vests on deliveries, because it would make me feel even more out of place, but as I pulled up to the front of the house, I tried to shake it off. I texted Emmett and he came out the front door, waving me over.

"Esme asked that we bring it through the house, because it'll be easier than trying to carry it up the porch steps out back, so let's get it off the truck." We started un-strapping it as Emmett asked, "Now that works done, are you hanging out?"

I looked at Emmett, shaking my head as we lowered the grill to the ground. "Edward said he wasn't staying too late, and he didn't ask me to meet him here, so I'll probably just go."

"You're Edward's girlfriend, once Esme realizes that, she'll insist that you stay." I could tell Emmett was trying to boost my shitty mood, but it had been too long a day for anything besides a cold beer and a long nap.

We got the grill up the stairs and through the house with little effort, but it was when we made it onto the back porch that my day came full circle.

Emmett took the gas tank that had been removed from the broken grill and hooked it up while Edward's father walked up to me. "I'm surprised Amun sent one of the girls to do the delivery, but thank you."

I saw his hand sink into his pocket as I responded to him, "You're welcome, Dr. Cullen." He tried to tip me but I shook my head. "That isn't necessary, Sir."

"Yes it is, now take it. Don't be rude by refusing," he said silencing me.

It had been a long day of being condescended to and I just wanted to go home. I took the money and muttered a good-bye before disappearing back through the house. I was almost to the front door when I heard Edward's voice.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" I turned towards his voice and burst into tears at the sight of him. "Bella, what's wrong? Did Tanya start something?"

I shook my head as I noticed his mother watching our interaction. "No, it wasn't her. Can we just talk about it at home?"

"Home?" Esme asked.

"Mom, please," Edward said before he turned back to me. "I know you weren't crying when you got here, so who upset you?"

"It was just something your dad did, I know he didn't mean-" Edward didn't let me finish the thought as his hands balled into fists.

"Mom, take her into your office, I have to speak to Dad."

"Edward, please don't start something with him over me," I begged him.

"Bella, you're too damn important for me not to say something, now please let me do this."

I watched Edward storm towards the back door as Esme led me into the room they'd come out of, "Come on, Dear, I have a feeling you and I have a lot to discuss as well."


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 43**

**BPOV**

I sat on the couch that was part of the sitting area near the door, ignoring the impressive looking desk on the other side of the room.

"My son seems quite taken with you, Bella," Esme said as she sat down beside me.

"The feeling is mutual, Mrs. Cullen-"

"Call me, Esme," she interrupted me.

"I love your son, Esme, and I feel so grateful that we stopped hating each other long enough to love each other," I said and she laughed.

"He did mention a rather unorthodox beginning, but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. Edward discussed the work he's done on his house, and how he wants to expand his business, and I think it's a wonderful idea. But there's something I'm afraid to tell him about, because I don't want to push him away." I could see her trepidation, but I'd be willing to help Esme if it helped Edward.

"What is it, Esme?"

"Edward mentioned that you applied for some grants which could infuse his business with some addition cash flow which I think is brilliant. But I don't like him personally having the kind of debt he's built up because it makes it hard to borrow additional money if an emergency comes up. What I would like to offer, is to pay off his home equity loan now, with the money I have saved from my business and offer to allow him to pay me back half of it, as we make profits from our jobs. That way, if we make decent money, he can pay me back in a few years without interest, and we'll be profiting from the work we do together."

"I think it's a good idea to not have the debt hanging over us, but I also know that Carlisle laid a guilt trip on him about risking your gift with the loan. To him, it might seem like you don't have faith that he'll make that money on his own to pay it off. As it stands, the loan payment is nearly my rent on the boat, so once we're combining our incomes it makes that easier to bear. I'll tell him that I support his decision if he does allow you to buy his debt, but I'm not going to push him to do it either." I couldn't try to force his hand and she needed to know that. "Edward is very proud, so when Carlisle treats him like an insolent child, or you offer to save the day, it makes him feel like you don't have faith in him. I know that you do, Esme, but just present this to him as a way to make the venture as financially sound as possible. That'll be the way to get him to consider it."

"You know him very well, and I can see you're good for him. He's happy, Bella, and I have to thank you for that." Esme looked a little teary-eyed, so I reached out to take her hand.

"We're good for each other, and I'm excited about what the future holds for us."

Just then, the door opened and Edward asked, "You ready to go?"


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 44**

**EPOV**

I was outside just as the door closed behind Bella, giving me the privacy to find out exactly what he did. My dad was easy to spot, talking with Dr. Grenady, so I walked over and tried to be polite as I interrupted them.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a moment inside?"

My dad looked at me, a little put out that I was pulling him away from his conversation. "Can it wait? I'm in the middle of a conversation."

"It really can't, I'm leaving in a little while and I want to discuss this with you before I go."

My dad nodded and followed me in, leading me once we crossed the threshold. We entered his office and I gave him enough time to close the door before I began.

"What did you do to upset Bella?"

"Who?" he asked.

"Bella, the girl who delivered the grill," I explained in a tight voice.

My father looked at me genuinely puzzled. "I didn't do anything to upset the girl. All I said was that I was surprised that Amun sent a woman to do the delivery and then I thanked her and gave her a tip. What's wrong with that?"

"Plenty," I yelled. "You don't seem to understand just how condescending you come off. First, you imply that being a woman makes her less capable of doing her job, and then you tip her."

"Why shouldn't I tip her? She's one of Eleazar's employees and she drove out here to deliver a large item." My dad's hackles were up as he continued to miss it.

"How about the fact that it's embarrassing when your boyfriend's father tips you, acting like you're nothing to him. She should be a guest here, not the help." How could he seriously not get it?

"I'm supposed to instantly know that she was your girlfriend? For all I know, you could have broken up with her seeing as you didn't invite her today," he fired back.

"Everyone who could have taken her shift was invited to the barbeque. And if you knew I was dating the Chief's daughter, Bella, and a young woman shows up with a nametag that says Bella on it, wouldn't you think it was possible that they were the same person?"

"You think I was paying that close attention to the delivery girl? As long as you have this childish attitude where I do nothing right, I don't think there's much reason to beat a dead horse. So tell your girlfriend that I'm sorry if she took offense from my gesture, and I will see you the next time you come over for dinner." With that, my father left the room and from the sound of it, he returned to the party.

I left the office and found Bella sitting closely with my mother. I was pleased at least one of my parents was welcoming her.

"You ready to go?" I asked.

"Oh Edward, won't you stay a little while longer?" my mom begged.

"There are a few too many critical people out back, and it looks like Bella's had a rough day. Once the house is done, we'll have you over for dinner on one of Dad's late nights," I offered.

Bella reached into her pocket and scribbled something on a page from her little notebook. "Esme, here's my number, when you know the next night you'll be home alone, call me and we'll have dinner on the boat. We have to get you two together more often than once a month."

My mom pulled Bella in for a hug as she got up to lead us out. "Thank you, Bella, for everything."

We were out by the cars when Bella stopped me. "You really only see Esme once a month?"

"Sometimes it's more, but I have dinner with both my parents once a month. I'll spend more time with my mom when my dad's working, but if I'm there with him all evening it usually turns into an argument. I'm still the kid who didn't want to date who he wanted me to, or went into an unreliable career…" I sighed and Bella took my hand.

"Your dad was that set on you dating Tanya?" she asked.

"You heard Eleazar the other day, when we were both born around the same time, our fathers dreamed about us making them brothers after being friends their whole life. Our mothers realized we were too different, and eventually Eleazar saw that I didn't have the patience for Tanya's superficiality, but my dad was mad that I didn't give her a chance. Eleazar even apologized to me today for the way Tanya's been acting towards you at work. Luckily, he wasn't surprised that I was clueless."

"You don't have to worry about me, Edward. I'm a big girl." I could see a little apprehension on her face, but I decided not to push it.

"Let's go home, we both have long days tomorrow, and I'm guessing we could both use some dinner." Bella nodded and I opened her door, letting her start up her truck before I got in my truck to follow her home.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 45**

**BPOV**

Esme and I talked a few times over the next couple of days, and with Carlisle working the graveyard shift at the hospital on Thursday, we'd already made plans for her to come to have dinner with us. Wednesday had become my grocery day, as I got off of work at 2:00 and could walk down the parking lot to the Thriftway.

I was completely without an idea of what to make for Esme, but Edward told me to have fun with it as she loved to cook as well. I finally decided to make a fish dish and a few different sides so she had options.

Edward got home and jumped in the shower after a brief kiss, knowing his mother would be home soon. I heard the bell ring outside and knew Esme had arrived, so I walked out onto the deck to invite her up.

"Esme, please come aboard. Dinner is almost ready." I smiled, and Esme gave me a quick hug and then handed me a bottle of wine.

"You said we were having seafood, so I brought a white wine," she explained the gift and I nodded, letting her in.

"Thank you, Esme; this will be perfect with dinner."

I started to open the bottle as Esme looked around. "Is Edward running late?"

"No, the water you hear is actually him finishing up his shower, he should be out in a couple of minutes." I could feel the blush rising as I told his mother that.

"How long has Edward been living with you?" Esme asked bluntly.

"Since I found out he was sleeping on an air mattress and using a porta potty out at the house, so it's been two months." I saw her shocked expression and hoped to ease it a little. "We've actually gotten along really well as far as sharing such a small space, and now that the house is completed-"

"He's finished the house?" Esme was shocked, but Edward answered her question this time.

"Yes, Mother, all I have to do is build the carport for our trucks and it will be complete." I felt his hand brush my back as I turned back to the kitchen, no longer required to answer Esme's questions alone.

"I'd like to see it, Edward. And don't think I missed the comment about _trucks_, but I'll leave that be for now." Esme smirked, but Edward addressed it immediately.

"I asked Bella to move in with me and she said yes, so we need room for both of our trucks at the house. And Bella organized all of my project photos into albums and slideshows to make showing work to clients easier, so if you'd like, we can look at pictures tonight and you can come see the house in person sometime soon." Edward was sure as he talked to his mother, and her answering smile was enough to calm my nerves.

I served our dinner and was glad when Esme complimented me on the meal as we ate at the cramped booth on the boat. Conversation was light until Esme decided to broach the subject she and I had discussed while alone at the barbeque.

"So, Edward, I'm very excited to move forward with this business venture, and I'm already looking into possible houses for our first project. But there is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Whatever it is, Mom, go ahead," Edward urged.

"You mentioned taking out the home equity loan to do the work on the house, and I think that it might put us on slightly less than favorable footing should we need to take a loan for something down the line. I've discussed this briefly with Bella and I would like to make you an offer. I had put aside money towards fixing up the house when I bought it for you, which you knew, so I'd like to give you that $25,000 and then loan you the other $25,000 to pay off your loan in full. You could pay me back out of the profit from the sales of our houses at an amount that you can manage and you won't have an additional $20,000 in interest tacked on top of it."

"I'm not sure, Mom," Edward began, but Esme held up a hand to stop him.

"I know you can pay it off on your own, without interference, but I'd like to do this for you. You started this company while still working in Seattle, and have done wonderful things in the past two and a half years. I know that our partnership will be profitable, and I hope your father will stop seeing you in such an unflattering light and realize what you've accomplished. I just want to make the investment in your future that I wasn't able to before." I watched the emotions play on both of their faces, but when Edward nodded and stood up to get his laptop, I knew he'd let Esme do it for him.

"I'll let you two look over the renovation pictures while I do dishes," I whispered to Esme, who clasped my hands in hers.

"Thank you, Bella. This is the easiest conversation I've been able to have with my son about business ever, and I know that your influence on his self-image is a large part of that."

"As I told you before, Esme, your son is easy to love."

The pair of them crowded around the laptop, while I washed the dishes. The rest of evening was so much more relaxed and when Esme left, she made plans to go with Edward to the bank tomorrow to pay off his loan.

Lying in bed, Edward pulled me close and kissed the back of my neck. "I love you, Bella. And I know you had a hand in my mom coming to me like an equal tonight, so thank you."

"Edward, she always saw you that way, I just told her she needed you to know that she had faith in you as a businessman. She thought you knew that she was always behind you." I rolled over and placed my hand on his cheek. "There are a lot of people that want to see you succeed, you just have to believe in them as well."

"It's getting easier now that you're in my life," he murmured against my lips.

"Get used to it, because you're stuck with me," I whispered.

"Thank god," he said as he kissed me, ending conversation for the night.


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.**

**Sorry for the long delay, on vacation to visit the wifey and we've been busy! But I'm making up for it with a ton of chapters and more posting on Saturday when I get home. Thanks for the love and support~**

**Chapter 46**

**BPOV**

With college starting back up, we were able to get into our habit of meeting at Irritable Grizzly to unwind from our week. The only bad thing was that Kate's classes were more spread out as it was her last year, so Tanya and Maria each had to pick up one of her shifts.

Our regular table was waiting for us when we walked in Wednesday, but we had to pull over another one to make room for everyone who had joined our group in the last few months. Emmett was missing, but Jasper said he'd become a homebody a lot lately. We'd have to do something about that.

James was there without Vicky, because she had an early morning at work, but Alice, Jasper, Kate, and Garrett joined us to make it a fun night.

Or at least it could have been if you ignored the fact that Maria was dressed like she'd forgotten several important pieces of clothing as she stared a hole through Jasper all night. Alice was drinking her long island ice teas a little too quickly for this night to end well, and when Maria made her move as Jasper went to get another round for the table, Alice lost it.

"That bitch is going down," Alice muttered as she took out her earrings.

"Alice, don't go over there." I tried to stop her, but she was already walking over there.

James was watching the scene with rapt attention while Kate and Garrett walked over from the dance floor just as Alice made her way to Jasper's side. Garrett pointed to Alice's earrings and asked, "What are those?"

"Alice's earrings, she took them out so that hoochie mama doesn't tear them from her head when they start rolling around on the floor." James looked like he might start rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Seriously, I thought that shit only happened in movies?" Garrett said, as excited as James was.

"You guys are taking way too much pleasure out of the rapid decline in Alice's mental health," Kate said, as annoyed at their behavior as I was.

"Short stack is losing her shit, Kate, no need to go all college on us," James said with a laugh as the yelling began.

We all turned to see Alice dive towards Maria, but thankfully; Jasper caught her and pulled her away before she landed a kick.

"This is the best thing ever," James whispered as I smacked him upside the head and went to help Jasper with this.

Just as I walked up, Maria screamed, "Cuidado, niña, tu que no sé quién eres trastear con. Él será mía."

"Maria, no one wants you here, so just leave before I tell Jasper to let Alice beat the shit out of you." The threat was sincere and after blowing a kiss at Jasper, Maria left.

"Thank you, Bella," Jasper said as he calmed Alice down leading her back to the table.

As soon as she sat down, James and Garrett gave her a standing ovation. Edward wrapped an arm around her and teased, "Come on, Tyson, I think it's about time we got you all home."

Edward had agreed to be the designated driver tonight for the four of us, so we paid our tab and then dropped off Alice and Jasper at his place before returning to the boat.


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.**

**Chapter 47**

**BPOV**

Edward and I had gone around looking at furniture, but hadn't been able to find something that we could justify spending that much money on. Even with the loan taken care of, and having the money that hadn't been spent on the renovations, it felt frivolous to spend that kind of money on furniture just because we could.

My birthday was only two days away, and Edward told me not to make plans because he had something in the works. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I made a lunch date with my dad for after my shift so I could see him.

Jasper spent the morning freaking out that he'd lost his phone instead of putting away the truck, only to find it sitting on the lower shelf at the paint counter. He was confused, but slipped it into his pocket and got back to work.

Tuesday was Tanya's day to work Kate's old shift, and she made sure to come in late and then bitch the entire time she was there. I was surprised to see her come into the Lumber Department looking like she wanted to talk to me.

"You know, Bella, I almost feel sorry for you. You opened your legs to Edward so easily that he has no reason to move your relationship to the next level." Her jab was designed to make me self-conscious, but I enjoyed the opportunity to burst her bubble.

"Nice try, Tanya. But Edward's been staying with me for two months while he's been fixing up his house, and he's about to move back in as soon as he can get some furniture. The only problem we're having at the moment is finding a bedroom set for our master bedroom that we like and won't cost us a fortune."

"_Your_ master bedroom?" she squawked.

"Yup, Edward asked me to move in with him, so I guess your worries about him not moving forward are a little unfounded. But thanks for the concern." I glared at her until she huffed a breath and stormed out of the room.

I giggled to myself as I heard her punch out well before her shift ended, glad to be rid of her for the day. Unfortunately, Alistair came in to bother me.

"Tanya seemed to be in a bit of a mood when she stormed out; she isn't still set on your boyfriend, is she?"

"Alistair, I've never once discussed my personal life with you, and I don't plan to, so if you don't mind…" Leaving the sentence hanging wasn't a forceful enough hint, so Alistair hung around the lumber department until Amun realized he was short an that happened, the radio crackled and Amun's voice rang in our earpieces. "Alistair, come to aisle two and pull down some of the overstock."

With a polite goodbye to me and an angry grumble that I guessed was directed at Amun, Alistair went into the main room. Either way, my day was moving on and I was glad that eight p.m. was coming.

Lunch came and went, and around 2:30 Emmett popped in to catch up with me, as he'd missed our last few trips to the bar.

"Why are you hiding from us, Emmett?"

"I started dating a girl, and she's a little shy around people, and hates going to bars. I've been hanging around at either her place or mine so that she's more comfortable. In fact, Jasper's the only person to meet her, and Edward knows her name from snatching my phone one night right after we met," he explained.

"Did something happen to her, or…" I started to ask and he nodded.

"I won't tell her story, but her ex was a bastard and she's still trying to move past it. She picked this town because it was small and isolated, so no one would bother her here, not that he's able to. Anyway, I'm trying to get her to open up slowly. I'm hoping to have some people over in a week or two and then I can introduce her to you."

"That'd be nice. How did you two meet?" I asked.

"She pulled into the garage and told me what was wrong with her car. It seems she knows tons about cars, but just didn't have the tools to fix it. She started talking to Marcus about how she used to work in her father's shop as a bookkeeper until she moved to Seattle. He was so happy to have someone to help make sense out of his office that he hired her on the spot. Felix, Marcus, and I could tell she was tentative around guys, but she seemed to find a way to trust us, so it's been going good. I asked her out a while ago, but it took her weeks to finally agree to a double date if Felix and his wife would come. That was our first date and we're slowly making it work."

Smiling at my friend's good-fortune, I told him, "I'm proud of you, Emmett. Not many guys would be that patient and loving with a woman they just met. Maybe it's your age that gives you a little maturity-"

"Did you just call me, old?" Emmett feigned insult, his giant hands covering his heart.

"You are thirty-four," I teased, and he threw one of his work gloves at me, but I ducked behind the counter.

"I hear laughter, no fun is allowed at work," Amun called from the front room ending our conversation.

The last few hours passed much slower, but thankfully I was finally able to go home.


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 48**

**BPOV**

I woke up the morning of my twenty-fourth birthday to the smell of cinnamon buns and coffee.

My eye peeked open and I saw Edward sitting on the edge of our bed with a smile on his face, and my breakfast in his hands. "Happy Birthday, Bella."

"This is very sweet of you," I told him as I sat up and took the proffered cup of coffee. We sat in bed while I ate, Edward watching me very carefully before he looked at his watch.

"I have to go and get to work if I'm going to be ready for your surprise tonight," Edward said with a quick peck. "Have a good time with your dad."

Pulling myself out of bed, I got dressed and left for work, hoping that today would move faster than yesterday.

Jasper let me in with him, wishing me a happy birthday as well, before telling me to get myself in the lumber room. Tanya worked the morning, but she had to be the front cashier, so I had no interference from her.

Jared and Paul were in to do a small job that Edward had lined up, mentioning that the carport had shipped and should be at the house in a few days. It was nice to see some of the last things come together, but I was still bummed about the lack of furniture in our house.

My dad called, asking me to meet at his house instead of the diner, so at 2:15, I pulled up beside my dad's cruiser to see him leaning beside it.

"Get in, Bella," he said, opening the passenger door.

"Where are we going? And what happened to lunch?" I asked, a little bewildered.

"I got you one of those wrap sandwiches and a half and half from the diner, you'll eat it on the road," Charlie said as he walked around to the driver's side and climbed in.

"What is so important that we have to take the cruiser and eat on the way?" I was starting to worry about where he was taking me.

"It's your birthday present, now hush," Charlie said as he pulled out onto the road.

It was two hours on the road, with mainly talk about work and the house, but Charlie never revealed where we were going until he pulled us into the parking lot for the Target in Silverdale.

"I can't believe you broke the law to take me to Target," I said in astonishment.

"I was doing exactly the speed limit, but who was going to pull over a cruiser, anyway." I watched as his mustache danced over his lip, his amusement breaking through. "Now, it's time to take care of your birthday present."

My dad led me into the store, grabbing a cart and stopping only when we got to the kitchenware department. "Is this a hint?"

"No, it's your destination. Edward mentioned that the house is still pretty bare and I know that one of your favorite rooms in the house is the kitchen, so I thought that I'd help you outfit it. Here."

Charlie handed me an envelope, and I opened it to reveal a $500 gift card. "Dad, this is way too much."

"No, it's exactly enough. Hell, with you moving off the boat and your college loans being done, you'll be saving me more than that a month. I wanted to do something nice for you this year, now just don't throw a fit when your housewarming gift is delivered and I'll consider that thanks for it all." I could tell from Charlie's expression that there was no arguing with him, so after a firm hug, I began to look around.

The first thing I found was a KitchenAid standing mixer, and then I picked out a combination coffeemaker that would brew a single cup, or a full pot. Charlie followed behind me as I picked up a variety of appliances, sitting them back down as I weighed the options.

"How are things going with Edward?" my dad asked as I finally decided on the toaster oven I wanted.

"They're amazing, Dad. He's doing so well for himself, and he's been working with Esme to expand the business to flip houses. It's a very exciting time for all of us."

"But the two of you, personally…it's going well?" Charlie asked a little more delicately.

"Very well. I wouldn't be giving up the boat and picking out kitchen gadgets if things were shaky between us." A moment of worry settled into my stomach at the thought that Charlie didn't think this was a good idea. "Why, do you think this is too soon?"

"Every person is different, and if you were with another guy, I might think it is, but Edward's a good man, and you've got your head on straight. People have gotten married with a lot less notice and having not worked side by side remodeling a house together. Besides, he makes you smile, and I'd never stand in the way of that." Charlie winked, squashing the sentimentality a bit as he excused himself for a minute.

I had a deep fryer and a blender sitting on top of my cart when Charlie returned with an empty cart. "You know me well."

"I know that you're not going to leave here without dishes, so I figured this was the best way to keep us moving." Charlie laughed.

We spent almost a half an hour walking around while I picked out a gold and black place setting, making sure to get enough for sixteen people, knowing we'd be having some nice-sized get togethers, and also accounting for a broken plate or two.

Silverware, glasses, and stem-less wine glasses were next, followed by some dish towels and oven mitts, before I finally stopped at the cookware. There were several sets that I had been looking into, so when I found one I liked I grabbed it, also getting a few additional pieces, like extra skillets, a couple of big pots, and some bake ware.

As we pushed the carts to the register, I was afraid to hear my total, even knowing that Edward would likely pay me back half of whatever I spent.

The cashier rang up and bagged my items; finally telling me total was close to $1400. Slipping her my gift card first, and then my credit card, I signed the screen and then we loaded up the cruiser. With my bounty sitting in the backseat, and the pair of us safely strapped in the front, Charlie turned to me and smiled.

"That was quite an expedition, but let's get you home."

Home, that sounded perfect.


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 49**

**BPOV**

It was just after seven when Charlie dropped me off at Edward's house. I'd been confused at first, but he said that I should drop off my purchases and then I could get the car in the morning, because Edward was meeting me here. I didn't trust him, this was a setup.

Charlie helped me grab my first load, and Edward already had the door open to take some things from me. "My god, what did you do? Buy out the store?"

"Close to it. Never take Bella into a place that sells kitchen stuff and expect to leave empty handed," Charlie joked as we continued to load up the porch, as Edward seemed to want to keep me out of the house for the moment.

When everything was out of the car, I said goodbye to Charlie and noticed that there were only a few bags left on the porch.

"Can I help you now?" I asked and Edward couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, Bella, now you can come in and see your surprise." Edward picked up two of the bags, leaving me the other two to bring in.

The lights were casting a soft glow, but as we neared the kitchen I saw the plastic folding banquet table and two chairs in the dining room, food spread out on its surface. We sat down the bags and Edward led me into the dining room.

"The honor of cooking the first meal in our kitchen will be yours, but I wanted your birthday to be the first time we ate together in our home," Edward whispered as he pulled out my chair.

"I ordered dinner from the Lodge, I hope you don't mind," Edward told me as I reached forward to put some of the chicken parmesan and pasta on my plate.

"It's perfect, thank you."

"I can see you enjoyed shopping with your dad, do we need to make another trip out there?" Edward asked as he began to make himself a plate.

"I may need a few other things, but I think we can order most and have them shipped here, but having the chance to see the place settings and glasses in front of me made choosing a lot easier."

"Well, after dinner we can start to put them away," Edward told me as the conversation dissolved into talk about our days.

When dinner was done, we tried out our dishwasher on the plates and some of the glasses, knowing the rest of them would need to wait for a second load. Meanwhile, we hand-washed and dried the pots and pans and organized those cabinets. I arranged the few appliances I'd bought around the space and then we started the second load in the dishwasher, putting away the first before Edward took my hand.

"We can let that run; I want to show you my gift for you."


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 50**

**BPOV**

Edward led me upstairs and towards our master bedroom, but I wasn't prepared for what I found inside.

A bedroom set, much like one we'd looked at online, was sitting in the room, complete with a mattress and a comfy looking comforter set.

"Edward, how on earth did you…?"

"My mom," he said at first, but when he could see I wanted more than that, he led me further into the room. "One of the houses she's selling, the woman was looking to sell some of her furniture as well. The couple that bought it had their own, so when I showed my mom what we had been thinking of, she brought me there. I got a reasonable price, because if she doesn't sell it before she needs to move out, it'll be going to consignment shops, and I want you to go with me tomorrow to see if there's anything else in the house you'd want for us. This I bought last week and had the guys help me move this morning. The mattress was delivered yesterday, so it was perfect timing."

"I love you," it was all I could say. "This is the most amazing present…I don't even have the words. I'd love to go with you and see what else she has."

"Good, I'm sure there are some other pieces that you'll like," Edward told me as I walked slowly over to the bed.

"Did you lock up when I came in?" I asked and Edward nodded. "Perfect, I'd hate for you to have to run downstairs and check while I'm getting naked."

That caught his attention. "And why are you getting naked?"

I knew he was playing with me, so I kicked off my sneakers and peeled off my socks as I sat on the edge of the bed. "Well, if my present is this bedroom set, and we want to know for sure that I like, it we better test it out pretty thoroughly. And what better way to test it out than with lots of sex?"

"Fuck," he muttered as he took off his own shoes, both of us moving to our shirts at the same time.

Clothes were discarded and Edward lightly tossed me further onto the bed, crawling on top of me. "This is so much bigger than our bed on the boat. We don't have to worry about falling off."

"If we're not worried about falling off, then I'm not doing something right," Edward teased before capturing my lips.


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 51**

**BPOV**

I let my hands roam across his back and shoulders as we kissed, his lips slipping down my jaw to my neck, making a lazy path down to my breast. I gasped and moaned as he moved from one breast to the other, his actions were well practiced over the last few months and he knew just how to get me worked up.

Edward stopped his attentions just long enough to put on a condom before his body covered mine again and he slid home.

His thrusts were slow at first, but the rise of my hips to meet his quickly had him speeding up. I loved how it felt when he lost control a little, because him trying to savor it was wonderful, but Edward living in the moment was the best sex I'd ever had.

"Shit, baby…you feel so damn good," Edward grunted, erasing all thoughts as his fingers moved between us.

"Oh, God," I called as I felt my impending orgasm.

"That's it, Bella, cum with me," Edward crooned as his thumb worked over me, sending me over the edge.

I felt him twitch and throb with his release, a serene smile on his face. Edward and I went to clean up in our bathroom and then we climbed back into bed, relaxed in each other's arms.

"Thank you for making this such a special birthday, Edward."

"You're welcome, love."

The next morning, Edward and I went to visit the woman we'd bought the bedroom set from and looked around at what she was trying to sell, most of the things were a little too antique for what we wanted to do down in the living areas, but she did have a lovely china cabinet and sideboard for the dining room. Edward and Annie, the elderly woman who we learned was moving to an assisted living community, started talking about prices, but she kept telling him he was paying her too much.

"Edward, if I was to go through the consignment shop they'd only pay me half of what they make off of it, so I'd rather see it go to a good home."

When they'd finally settled on a price, we'd loaded them into our trucks and drove slowly back to the house. After we loaded them into the dining room, we went to the boat and started packing up our things.

It was sad how little I'd managed to survive with on the boat, but by late afternoon I was helping Edward unload some of his storage space, leaving the rest for the weekend.


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 52**

**BPOV**

A week after my birthday, Emmett told me that his girlfriend, Rosalie, was ready to meet with a larger group of us so he made plans for dinner and some drinks. That Friday night, we headed to the duplex that Emmett and Jasper split to hang out. I'd been to Jasper's half of the house, but tonight was my first time at Emmett's place. Felix and his wife were coming so Rosalie wouldn't be surrounded by strangers, so I'd get to meet a few more people on the perimeter of our group.

Jasper led Edward and I inside as Emmett was picking up the food from the Lodge, but most people were already here. Kate, Garrett, and Alice were sitting on the sofa laughing and joking around, James and Victoria were mauling each other on one of the chairs, and another couple sat awkwardly on the loveseat. Assuming they were Felix and his wife, I walked over to introduce myself.

"Hi, I'm Bella, and this is Edward. It's nice to meet you." I smiled down to them as Felix offered his hand.

"I'm Felix and this beauty is my wife, Gianna," he said.

Gianna greeted us as well and we fell into conversation with them. It seems they were looking to buy a house, but had been having problems.

"So many of the places around here are fixer-uppers, but that isn't my thing," Felix was telling us. "If it's under the hood of a car, I'm your guy, but I can't do little projects around the house, much less the work most of these places require."

Edward was grinning as I was nudging his ribs, "Well, I own a construction company, and we're about to start flipping properties. So if you wanted to buy a place and have us remodel it, or buy a property from us after we renovate it, I'd be happy to work with you."

"To be honest, we'd much rather not be involved with the decision making, so if you had a property you're thinking about flipping, we'd much rather go that way. It'll give us a few more months to save up towards a down payment, so our loan would be less. I can't handle getting vapor-locked over tile samples." Felix laughed as Gianna jumped right in.

"The only thing I'd want a say in would be the paint colors, because that I do have an opinion on, but otherwise, we just want something comfortable. We're starting a family, so we need a house that will be kid friendly. It doesn't have to be the grandest house in Forks." Gianna watched Edward, like she was afraid she might have offended him, but he was excited at the prospect of having a buyer for a property we hadn't even found yet.

"That's fine, and most of what we do is around those lines, unless someone asks us to play up a certain architectural detail. Why don't you come out to our house next week? I just finished it a couple of weeks ago, but we can go over my portfolio and I've been looking at a few properties, so we can find one that you like and make an offer and go from there." Edward was buzzing with the prospect of having customers for his first flip, and I knew if Esme saw a prospective buyer, she'd be even more excited than she was at dinner.

Just then, Emmett showed up with dinner and a gorgeous blonde. I was about to say something when Edward whispered, "Looks like Emmett's been holding out on us."


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 53**

**BPOV**

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend Rosalie, Rose, this is the gang." Emmett led her inside and started setting up the food.

We each took turns greeting Rosalie, and then started eating, to take a little of the emphasis off of her. After dinner, we moved back into the living room and sat around talking. There was plenty to drink, so we all just joked around until we heard a loud bang from upstairs.

"What the fuck was that?" Jasper thought out loud.

"I don't know but you better check on it," Emmett told him, so Jasper grabbed his keys and headed to his place.

It only took about three minutes for all hell to break out. Jasper was screaming and we heard what I could only assume was cursing in Spanish. We all ran outside to see Jasper dragging Maria out of his front door and down the stairs.

"What is that skank doing in your house, Jasper?" Alice yelled.

"She broke in. Bella, do me a favor and call your dad so I can press charges."

"How can I break in when you gave me a key?" Maria asked as she produced a spare key.

"Yes, Bells?" my dad answered, and I had to ruin his quiet night.

"Dad, can you come down to Jasper's place, that psycho bitch from work broke into his house with a key she got from somewhere."

"I'll be there with Mark in a few, try and keep it from getting too crazy," Charlie asked as I hung up. Emmett and Felix had pulled Jasper away before he choked this dumbass, but she was still spewing her bullshit.

"He doesn't want to admit that we're together, but look on his phone and you'll see all the proof you need," Maria sneered.

Alice went inside and returned almost immediately, scrolling through the phone with a smirk on her face.

"Alice, baby, what are you doing?" Jasper asked.

"Proving that this whore doesn't have a grasp on reality." Alice let out a hard laugh, but Maria fired back.

"Look in his photos, not just his messages and call log," was all she said, but a moment after Alice did, her face fell.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no…how could you?" she screeched, smacking Jasper before she turned to go after Maria.

I jumped between them just as Mark pulled up. Edward got Alice away and Charlie pulled in behind Mark, taking Maria off to the side while Mark questioned Jasper. From there, my dad put Maria in the back of his cruiser as he went to talk to Emmett, Mark already speaking to Alice.

Jasper made a move to confront Maria again, and I knew he'd land himself in serious trouble if he got near her, so I tried to stop him.

"Jasper, let them handle this," I tried to persuade him, but he just got madder.

"Bella, get out of my way." Jasper shoved me and I tripped, twisting around and falling face first with a sickening crack as my arms shot out to break my fall.

I wailed as a bunch of things happened at once. I heard my dad shouting as Jasper was led to the other cop car, handcuffed as well as they shoved him in the back. Edward was immediately beside me, trying to calm me down.

"Bella, baby, where does it hurt?"

"My left arm, Edward, please make it stop," I cried.

My dad hollered, "Edward, get her to the hospital, Mark and I will get these two straightened out and then I'll send Mark down to get your statements."

"Come on, love, let's get you checked out," Edward said as he lifted me up and carried me to his car.


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 54**

**BPOV**

I cried as Edward drove to the hospital, muttering death threats to Jasper and Maria the whole time. I needed to calm him down, so I whispered, hoping to end his monologue. "Edward, don't be mad at Jasper, he didn't mean to hurt me."

Edward's eyes were almost black as he turned to me, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Are you kidding me? You tried to keep him from doing something stupid, and he attacked you! He put his hands on you and hurt you, and you act like it's nothing! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Biting my lip in an attempt to hold in the sob, I turned towards the window to see that we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. As soon as the truck was stopped, I hopped out and ran to the desk where the nurse who handled registration sat. All my information was in the system already, so once she was sure that nothing had changed, I was walked back into the ER. Edward came into the waiting room at that moment.

"Bella," he yelled after me.

"No, you get to sit out here and think about what you just said to me," I told him as I was led to the first bed.

I waited a patiently for a while before the curtain was pulled back, revealing Dr. Cullen. Fuck, maybe I should just let my arm heal crooked.

"Hello, Bella, what brings you in this evening?"

"Broke my arm in the middle of a domestic dispute," I said because Mark would be here soon to document all of this.

"Did Edward-" Dr. Cullen began, but I cut him off immediately.

"No, how could you even think that? He's in the waiting room because I won't let him back here. Jasper's psycho stalker started a dust up at the house and I tried to break it up and Jasper pushed me out of his way and I fell on my left arm."

Deputy Mark walked up and I waved with my good arm as Dr. Cullen looked at my injured one. "Bella, I need to ask-"

"I'm not pressing charges, but do me a favor and let him sober up in the holding cell so he doesn't do anything stupid."

Mark nodded. "Charlie planned to, and Alice is staying in your old room tonight. Your dad said she was welcome as long as she needed a place."

"Good, I don't know what's going on with Jasper, but Charlie being the person between him and Alice will make him have to work a little harder." I looked up to see the corner of Dr. Cullen's mouth twitched up into a crooked smile that made him look just like Edward.

"Bella, I'm going to have one of the nurses take you for an x-ray and I'll check back in a little while." His smile was genuine, if not a little compassionate as I climbed off the bed and was loaded into the wheelchair.

It took about a half an hour for me to get the x-ray and for Dr. Cullen to return to see me. "Bella, your left wrist is broken and we're going to have to re-align the bones because of how you fell. This is going to be painful, and I can give you something for it beforehand, but I think it's best if we bring Edward in to distract you. Would you like me to get him?"

I nodded, and Dr. Cullen ordered me a shot of some painkiller before he went to find Edward. The nurse gave me a shot and then Edward came through the doors with his father.

"Bella, I should have never yelled at you like that. I'm not ready to let this go so easily, but if you can forgive Jasper, that's your business. I just hate seeing you hurt like that." Edward's hand was running across my forehead as Dr. Cullen slid in beside him.

I felt Dr. Cullen taking my hand in both of his, but I ignored him as Edward whispered his apologies and words of love. The pain was suddenly a lot worse, but just as quickly as it surged, it retreated. Dr. Cullen felt my arm gently and smiled. "There we go, now let me get the supplies and I'll get your cast taken care of."


	55. Chapter 55

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

This is the end for today, hope you enjoyed the big group of chapters~

**Chapter 55**

**EPOV**

Ever since Bella yelled at me to think about what I'd said, I'd done little else. She was sitting in the ER alone, probably still in a good deal of pain, because I was too busy being angry at Jasper and Maria to be there for her.

I was just so mad that she had to be hurt in all of this. She wasn't involved in it. It was between Jasper, Alice, and Maria, but she had to play the peacemaker and now she was injured.

Nettie, the woman who handled all the paperwork for insurance and such for the ER, was watching me, looking a little sorry for me, so I moved to the opposite end of the small hallway, hoping to get a little privacy.

I was in the middle of my wallowing when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Edward, can you come with me?"

I looked up at my father and was a little shocked by the softness in his expression. "What's wrong? Is Bella okay?"

My father nodded. "I need to reset her wrist, so I'll need you to keep her preoccupied so I can do it easily." I stood up to walk towards the ER, but my dad stopped me. "I just want to tell you something that happened a few minutes ago, because I'm not sure if she would mention it to you."

"You shouldn't be telling me this," I told him.

"It wasn't in reference to her condition, it was about how she was injured," my dad said. "I was going to ask if you were here somewhere, but she assumed I was asking if you were the other part of the domestic dispute. I would never think you capable of hurting someone, especially someone you love, and the way you both jump to each other's defense is touching. I just wanted you to know that. Now, we should head back that way I can get you two home."

I followed my dad, in a little bit of a daze until I saw Bella sitting on the gurney. I tried to comfort her and offer her my apologies as my father did his work. He left for a couple of minutes and I looked at Bella's face, seeing the discomfort there. "Do you want me to call Eleazar and tell him you won't be in tomorrow?"

"Eleazar is kind of irrelevant when it comes to that, but could you text Amun from my phone?" Bella asked and I agreed.

Sending the text, I came back into the room to see my dad just starting to wrap the white part of the cast on her arm. "What color did you choose?"

"Blue, it's one of the darker colors and I know you like that color, so…" Bella trailed off as my dad started to wrap the blue outer layer on her arm.

His hands moved quickly and I was surprised to see him pressing it down and smoothing it out. "I'm sure you know to keep the cast clean and dry, and let your coworkers do the heavy lifting for you. We'll have you do some exercises to regain the strength after the cast comes off, but that will come in time."

"This isn't the first time, even for this arm, as I'm sure you saw on the x-ray," Bella joked with my father, as one of the nurses brought over a clipboard.

"I did notice the previous break; it looked to be a monkey bar miscalculation, or something of the sort from the amount of healing done." I sat in mild shock as my dad and Bella seemed to be getting along pretty well. He handed her the clipboard and she signed a few times, which let me know she was getting discharged. "Just take over the counter pain medications if it hurts, and if anything comes up, call the hospital or stop by and we'll check you out. Otherwise, I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Bella said as she slipped down off the gurney.

"Thank you, Dad," I told him as I led Bella outside to my truck. We both climbed in and I turned to face her, brushing my thumb across her cheek. "Let's get you home."


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

Okay everyone, sorry for the delay, but RL decided that I'm not allowed vacations because it interferes with it...but I have exciting news. This weekend I sent the final block of chapters to wifey, so this story is complete, all i have left to do is post the remaining chapters, which will be 71 after today (there are 130 chapters and an epilogue.) I don't know if posting will be more frequent or just more of them when I do post, that will depend on work and things. I'm working to wrap up a few things now, including 'An Angel in Hell' and a couple of things that only have a chapter or two left, and then I will be moving on to new projects once the decks are cleared again. Older stories are being completed before new ones start posting, unless a certain bunny starts beating on the side of my head again. (My plot bunnies don't like being locked up for long.)

Thank you for dealing with this rambling AN and I hope you enjoy today's offerings. Love to Mizzdee for her continued work on my words, and for giving me a great set of memories on my trip! And troberts for being review #150 on twcs.

**Chapter 56**

**BPOV**

I slept until almost noon the next day, feeling a few more of the bumps from falling down than I had last night. I felt around for my phone, but Edward took my hand as he sat down beside me.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm kind of sore, but a lot better than last night," I told him as he handed me my phone.

"That damn thing has been going off all morning, I almost shut it off." Edward walked to his side of the bed so he could slide in beside me as I looked at my text messages first. Most of them were a jumble of concern and bits of random information. The four voicemails were much of the same; though there was one of Alice crying until my voicemail cut her off. I really had to call her.

"I have to call Emmett and Alice, but I should probably check in with Charlie first." I thought out loud as Edward played with my hair.

"Do you want a few minutes alone, or is it alright if I stay?" Edward asked and I told him not to move.

Charlie gave me the facts of the night, that Jasper had just been released without being charged with anything, but Charlie ordered him to stay away from his house or he'd put him back in jail for trespassing. Maria had been charged with trespassing, as well as being served with a temporary restraining order. Emmett told me that Eleazar fired Maria because with a TRO against her she couldn't work at the same place as Jasper, and that Jasper was still coming into work tomorrow from their last conversation. Also, Rosalie had been pretty traumatized by what happened last night, but she was more worried about Alice and me than anything.

"I'll call her in a little while, but I want to check in with Alice first," I told Emmett as I was ending the call.

"Okay, Bella, feel better," Emmett said as he ran off to punch back in from lunch.

Deciding it would be best to go over to the house and pick up some things as well, Edward loaded the flatbed of his truck with some empty boxes we were reusing and a few suitcases and we drove over to Charlie's house.

I unlocked the door and called out to Alice, who was sitting in the living room, startled to see us. "I'm sorry, Ali, but would you mind helping me pack up my clothes?"

"Sure." She perked up, taking one of the suitcases from Edward, who handed me the other one, as it was empty at the moment.

"Edward, there are some boxes in the basement that have my name on them. Could you make a few trips with them while we pack up my things?" I was hoping that he'd agree, because Alice would talk more if he wasn't in the house.

"No problem, Bella. Do you want me to grab some lunch?"

"Maybe in a while," I told him.

Once he was in the basement, Alice and I went up to my room and we laid out my bags and started to pack my half empty drawers. We were pulling things out of my closet when Alice started talking.

"He said that she's making it all up, and that I should believe him."

I shrugged and took some of the clothes from her, trying to fold them one handed. "I don't know what to believe, Alice. From everything I saw, Jasper couldn't stand her. And we use each other's keys all the time, so she could have copied them up at the front on any number of occasions."

"So you think I'm blowing this out of proportion?" she asked.

"No, I think last night was insane and we still don't know how those pictures got on his phone, but he has to prove to you that you're what he wants and that he's willing to fight for you. There has to be no doubt of his feelings or you're always going to be looking for the next Maria, and that isn't fair for either of you."

Alice was standing there, staring at the floor with a pair of my dress pants in her hands. "I really want to forgive him, but I can't trust him right now."

"Then trust your gut, he'll have to be patient, or let you go. Jasper can't call the shots in this; you're the one running the show."

"Okay, enough about my soap opera, how's your arm?" Alice took what I was failing to fold and made quick work of it, leaving most of my things on the hanger so Edward wouldn't have to replace them on the hangers when we got home.

"Bella, we should go on a shopping trip, your closet looks a little lacking," she said as she dug through the bottom of my closet to pack the few pair of shoes and boots that I had left behind when I moved to the boat.

"You realize most of my clothes are already at the house. This is just what I couldn't fit on the boat," I teased her and she smiled.

"I still think we should take a trip. Maybe closer to Halloween when we go looking for costumes?" Alice was so excited that I couldn't let her get her hopes up.

"Edward and I are going to be bums on Halloween. We've had a little too much excitement the last few times we've gone out. Plus, I'll still have the cast on. It's on until the week before Thanksgiving."

"That sucks, but we'll find some time to hang out. I'll just miss seeing you every few days," Alice whispered the last bit.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means I'm headed back to Port Angeles for a while. Until Jasper and I can figure out what's going on, I'm not going to come into Forks and bump into him at the three places there are to hang out."

"Well tomorrow, Edward and I are going furniture shopping at the second hand and consignment shops in Port Angeles, so if you need a ride back to your place, you're welcome to come with us," I offered.

"Thanks, I need a ride back out there." Ali smiled.


	57. Chapter 57

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 57**

**BPOV**

We boxed up my books and knick knacks while Edward ran his trips from the basement to our house, his last trip included a stop at the local pizza place. The three of us ate and made small talk before Edward unloaded all the things from my room, looking at the rocking chair in the corner of my room.

"Do you want that for our bedroom, or is that just sitting in here because this has always been your room?"

My eyes drifted back to the chair as I felt the smile creep across my face. "Yeah, I'd really like that to come with us."

"Okay then, we'll put it in the back seat and head home. Did Alice say anything about how long she's staying with Charlie?"

"I offered her a ride back to her place tomorrow when we go to Port Angeles. Her car is still at her apartment, so she's stranded here."

Edward picked up the rocking chair and started down the stairs. I followed him, giving Alice a hug on our way out.

"Alice, we're heading out around eight, is that too early for you?" Edward called from the doorway.

"No that's great. Thanks again, guys." Alice released me and we headed out to the car.

It was a quiet ride, but when we pulled up to the house, Edward got out to help me out of the truck. "Open the door and we'll figure out where we want to put these boxes. Then we can look online and find some places to shop in Seattle if we have to. I'd really like this house to be furnished in the next few weeks."

"Sounds like a plan," I said as I walked up the stairs, noticing the bouquet of flowers. "Edward, this was really sweet, but you didn't have to get me flowers."

"I didn't," he said, carrying the rocking chair up the steps.

Taking the tiny envelope that was tucked in amongst the arrangement; I opened it to see an apology.

_Bella,_

_You were trying to keep me from doing something I'd regret last night, but in the end, what I did to you was what I regret the most. No one will tell me how you're doing; all I know is that you won't be back to work until Monday. I'm begging for forgiveness I don't deserve, both from you and the woman I love. Fell better and I will see you at work._

_Sincerely,_

_Jasper_

"It's from Jasper," I said aloud. "He's sorry and is asking for my forgiveness as well as Alice's."

"Does he want you to talk to her for him?" Edward asked.

"No, he apologized for hurting me and said no one will tell him how I am, and that he is begging for our forgiveness."

"Are you going to call him?"

"No, I'll tell him on Monday. This weekend is about us."

"I like that, how about we get inside and start sorting your things?" Edward asked and I nodded, opening the door so we could head inside.


	58. Chapter 58

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 58**

**BPOV**

We spent the rest of Saturday putting away my things. My clothes fit easily in the closet and dresser and my books took their place on one of the built in bookshelves in Edward's office while the remainder of my things were put up in the attic. Edward already had his things in the basement, so we were fully moved in; we just needed to finally be done shopping.

I failed at cooking dinner one handed, so Edward cooked up burgers and we took out our laptops. There were a few furniture stores about two and a half hours towards Seattle, so after the consignment shops were raided; we were going to make a trip there next weekend to finish the house.

Sunday morning, we drove over to pick up Alice and then headed out to Port Angeles. After a stop at a diner near her apartment, we said goodbye to Alice and went to the first consignment shop.

It was a few hours of looking at the shops, but we weren't really able to find much that we liked, so by noon we were in Angeles Furniture. We were lucky that they were preparing for a new line of furniture, so they were selling the display models from the showroom floor.

We found a dining room table and chair set that would work with the piece we already had, and a discounted bedroom set for the guest room in the basement. The basement didn't need much else, since the rest of the space was Edward's work area and storage, so we started looking at the different living room sets.

There were two that Edward and I both liked in similar color schemes, and since the living room was large, we decided to get deeper tan for the main area of the living room around the entertainment center, and the cream chairs we got for the smaller sitting area near the kitchen. I fell in love with a dark entertainment center that would house everything we needed it to, so Edward ordered a coffee table in the same wood and we continued to move around.

Kelly, our sales associate, was smirking as she added to the list of things we were getting.

Another couch and two chairs to sit opposite the desk in the office were picked out, but Edward still hadn't found a desk or credenza that he liked.

We were still leaving the two bedrooms on the second floor empty, mainly because it felt foolish to buy furniture that we might not need for a while, so with our damage done, we had Kelly total it up and I cringed as Edward handed over his card to pay for it. We set up delivery for Thursday, since I was off, and we left the store with a significantly smaller shopping list.

"Hey, Bella, do you want to go to Seattle and look at Bed Bath and Beyond, or just shop online? I don't mind making the trip," Edward asked as we got in the car.

"I can buy the stuff online, but is there somewhere you wanted to go and look for a desk?" I asked, knowing it was the one major thing left to buy.

"There's a Staples in Sequim, but we can go next weekend," he started, but I ended it.

"We're almost there; we might as well finish it up. Who knows we may not have a need to go shopping next weekend if we get lucky?"

"Sounds like a plan, love." Edward smiled as we drove off.


	59. Chapter 59

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 59**

**BPOV**

On the ride to Sequim, I couldn't block out my thoughts about Jasper. I was trying to not think about what had happened at his house, everything with Maria and Alice, and how I was injured, but in the end, I knew he was beating himself up over it.

Dialing his number, it was answered almost immediately. "Bella?"

"Hey, Jasper, I know you're working today, but-"

"No, don't worry about it. I'm glad you called. How are you doing?" He sounded worried, so I decided to just get it out there.

"I broke my wrist, but it isn't the first time, so it's all about remembering how to do things one-handed." I chuckled at myself, but Jasper wasn't in a laughing mood.

"Shit, Bella, I'm so sorry. I lost my mind a little the other night and lashed out against you when you were trying to keep me from doing something that could have gotten me in even more trouble. I've already figured out a lot of her lies, but I don't know if any of it will matter to Alice."

"It'll matter to her, trust me. What did you figure out?" I encouraged.

"Well, I got a date stamp from the pictures, and they were from the day my phone went missing at work, so I guess that she texted them and saved them before deleting the messages. She's a sneaky bitch, I'll give her that," Jasper commented just before I heard someone call his name. "Look, I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," I told him before he hung up.

The rest of the day went even better than we thought. Edward found the perfect office furniture at Staples, and then we drove the last forty-five minutes to Silverdale to go to Best Buy. We got a home theater system for the living room, as well as a blu-ray player for both our bedroom and the living room and flat screen TV's for the two rooms as well.

That was non-negotiable according to Edward, so I let it go and smiled as those were able to be loaded into the truck. I got a few smaller things for around the house, and iPod dock for the kitchen and another one for the bedroom, and things of that nature, leaving us with a long drive before we got home.

"We should stop somewhere to get dinner. I still don't want you to try doing anything too strenuous until you're used to the cast." Edward was watching me for a reaction, but the truth was I was exhausted.

"Can we go to Wendy's?" I pouted, making Edward laugh.

"Absolutely," Edward agreed.

It took us a couple of hours to get home, but we brought everything in and Edward left most of the stuff downstairs while we brought the TV and blu-ray player into our room to set up. We hooked up the cable box that had been sitting alone on the dresser to the other electronics and were actually able to watch a movie that night as we fell asleep.


	60. Chapter 60

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

This is the last of the chapters today, but you'll be getting the latest 'An Angel in Hell' and 'I Think I Dreamed You into Life' chapters before the uploading spree is complete. Happy reading!

**Chapter 60**

**BPOV**

Work on Monday was rough. They had me in the back, stationed at the register, but it was a pain in the ass to do it with only one hand. Over the weekend they'd hired a new cashier and floor person, so we were better staffed, even if they were trying to learn about basic store functions on truck day.

No one let me do anything, which was a blessing and a curse, but as my regular customers came in and expressed concern over my injury, I joked and said I smacked around a few smart-ass customers and diffused the awkwardness.

Bree, Maria's replacement, was sent to work with me after I came back from lunch, just to practice cashiering on her own without Tanya yelling that she was doing it wrong. She seemed so worried, like she didn't know what she was supposed to do, so I made the decision to take her under my wing and help her out, seeing as Amun left her training to Tanya, who couldn't be bothered to try.

The new guy, Randall, started in the afternoon, but he seemed hopeless as he followed Alistair around trying to put things away.

Jasper came to see how I was doing, and I told him to stop hovering. We were both avoiding the topic of Alice, but thankfully we were able to fall into our normal relationship after the bullshit had passed that morning.

When eight rolled around, we locked up and I drove back to the house. Edward was smiling when I walked in, so I was guessing that he had good news.

"We found our first flip. It was exactly what my mom and I had been thinking of, and I called Felix to show him some pictures of the new place as well as my portfolio. He and Gianna just left, and they're excited too. My mom is going to contact the bank about it, but we should know something for sure in a few days."

"That's amazing, I didn't know you were that close?" I told him.

"We hadn't been until Mom sent me the listing this morning. We went there early and it was what I wanted to do. I was willing to make an offer even if we flipped this first while waiting for something that would work for Felix, but the fact that they love it too makes it worth it. And, between waiting for the closing and everything, it'll give me enough time to do the roof and siding at Charlie's, so all the exterior work is done before the winter hits."

Edward was vibrating with joy and I was happy for him. "I'm sure Charlie will be happy to get those projects done. I've been hearing about that roof since before I moved in with him. It was a project that he didn't urgently need, so he kept putting it off."

"He won't need to anymore," Edward said. "How was work?"

"They hired two new employees, so that will be interesting, but Jasper and I are good and they let the new girl shadow me so I had the extra hands. Now, I just want to eat dinner and relax."

"Let me throw something together quick and we can get going on that." Edward pulled me closer and kissed my hair as we headed into the kitchen to make something to eat.


	61. Chapter 61

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

I survived Nemo with my power still on (still shaking my head at the fact that they're naming these storms, and that out of all the names, they picked shark bait.) So I'm giving you another chunk of chapters as I ignore the foot of snow outside and focus on a bit of MASHward writing. Catch you again in a day or so.

Also, to answer some questions that were posed after the Maria thing came to light. The store does have cameras, but most systems only save for a set number of days, based on the size of the server backing it up, the number of camera, etc. I've worked several stores and most of them had a week's worth of footage saved before the new day would overwrite the oldest file, so if she stole his phone weeks ago, there wouldn't be proof on the surveillance anymore. And that's if he left it somewhere there were cameras, areas like the locker room wouldn't have cameras, so if he left it there and she did everything in there and then just slipped his phone under the counter under the pretense of doing something at the paint counter, it would be hard to prove. As for the keys, I was taught to make keys using my own house key, but there were times when I trained the kids and had them copy my house key because they didn't have their keys on them, so there are innocent ways to explain his circumstances, Alice just needs to believe him, which will take time.

**Chapter 61**

**BPOV**

"So, how did you even hear about this job, if you live in Port Angeles?" I asked Bree. I had learned pretty quickly that Amun and Tanya hadn't done right by her, so I asked Eleazar to let her hang back with me today so I could explain some more of the day to day things with the register. He seemed happy enough to have me supervise her, so Amun just walked away, staying in the main area of the store while I worked the lumber department floor.

"I live near the campus. That was how I met Kate, she was the one that got me the application," Bree explained. "I landed there by chance, and was looking for a sleepy place to regroup and start over. I'm not in contact with my family at all."

"There are places to rent around here, before I moved in with Edward I was renting a houseboat," I explained, but she made a slight face and looked down.

"I don't really have the ability to move out of where I am, money just isn't something I have to spare at the moment." Bree let out a deep breath, and it almost looked like she was holding back tears. "I'm a bit of a mess right now."

"We have two types of employees here the ones that can make it work, or the ones that self-destruct. Now I believe you're going to find a way to make it work and be stronger when you move on from here. You just need a little help, and if I can offer that to you, let me know."

"Thank you, Bella. That means more than you know." We went back to working, enjoying each other's company when Emmett began his shift around two-thirty.

"Bella, what is going on, girl? Rosie asked me to see if you wanted to do something later this week, like a couples' night or something? I think that after last week she feels a lot more comfortable with you and Edward, as crazy as that may be."

"Sure, we both work until eight on Friday, so you want to just hang out? You'll be the first people to see our house furnished since its being delivered on Thursday." Emmett nodded, messing up my hair as he walked over to Bree.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you yesterday, but I'm Emmett. I work here during the afternoons so we'll be spending a lot of time together." Emmett shot his signature toothy grin at her and she shyly smiled back.

"Emmett's great, Bree, he knows a ton of stuff if you have questions about something for a customer, and he's not moody like the others. He's a good guy to have on your shift."

"It's great to meet you, Emmett." Bree seemed a little less apprehensive as Emmett turned to help a customer, but there was definitely something there.

"You and your boyfriend live together?" Bree asked after the next little rush passed.

"Yeah, Edward and I have lived together about two and a half months now," I told her.

"How long have you been together?"

"Three and a half months," I told her. "It feels like longer sometimes, but it was the beginning of the summer," I told her as I stacked some of the 5 gallon buckets of joint compound. Another thing I liked about Bree was she didn't try and tell me that I should be taking it easy. I was starting to get the hang of having to use my right hand for everything, so it made things easier now.

"It must be nice to have someone you feel that close to. I wish I had that." That unnamed emotion flashed across her face again and I started to wonder what her story was. She was only nineteen, but she was guarded and alone in a way that wasn't normal. She should be on a college campus somewhere living it up, not isolated in the middle of nowhere.

The day ended and I said goodbye to my new friend as well as the rest of our motley crew and drove home to Edward. Once again he was smiling as he looked over some paperwork from his mom.

"Are those the contracts?" I asked as I moved to the kitchen.

"Yeah, everything is pretty basic, we have the same lawyer so he drew up the papers and explained everything this afternoon, I just have to put these in the lock box in the office until I can set up my filing cabinet this weekend."

"Oh, Rosalie and Emmett want to come over Friday night and hang out, just the four of us," I mentioned before I forgot.

"Emmett texted me after he talked to you, I told him that it was cool," Edward responded, coming to get us drinks for dinner while I pulled out the frozen pizza. "You seem to be able to use you bad hand a little easier now."

"It's about knowing your limits with it," I said as we moved into the dining room to eat on the folding table.

"Two more days and this will be in the basement," Edward said happily as we ate.

"I'm so excited to have the house set up. We'll finally be able to relax and just move forward with things."

"Speaking of things," Edward said, "I talked to Charlie this morning and he okayed the work on the roof and exterior. I ordered all the roofing and should be able to start that with Jared and Paul on Monday. After that, we'll repaint the siding and fix anything that needs to be done with the front porch and walkway."

"Great. I know you wanted to do that before the weather turned too rainy and cold."

"Yeah, it's perfect timing. We can spend a few days doing the roof and then pour the concrete for the walkway. Everything after that will simply be a matter of checking for rotted wood and then painting. By Halloween, Charlie will have us out of his hair and we can start to discuss projects that we'll do in the future."

I was so happy that everything was working out for us. Things were still tight, but with Edward's business growing and my position at the hardware store seeming more secure with each employee that walked out the door never to return, we could do a little planning for the future.


	62. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

Here is a little insight into the man many of you love to hate. He has some growing to do, and here's the first step.

**Chapter 62**

**CarlislePOV**

From what Esme had said, her business venture with Edward was days away from beginning, but he was also working on other projects. I didn't understand how he was going to spread his men so thin, especially when there was a good amount of money tied up in the house he was redoing with his mother. My wife tried to tell me that I didn't understand the business, but to me it seemed like there were too many jobs and people were being made to wait while he did other things.

The curiosity of wanting to see my son at work, and Esme's desire to invite Bella and Edward to have Thanksgiving dinner with us had me driving over to Charlie's house for a chat with Edward Tuesday morning.

I pulled up to see the roof covered in tarps and a mess on the Chief's lawn. I was a little ashamed that his property had been left like this and no one here to finish the job.

Charlie saw me pull up and waved to me from his porch. "Good morning, Dr. Cullen. You're a little early if you're looking for Edward, he'll be here in about twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry to intrude on your morning, Charlie, and please call me Carlisle," I offered as I walked up. "And I must say that I'm sorry for how your property was left last night. This isn't how my son should be treating his clients."

Charlie looked at me oddly before he spoke. "The raccoons got into the garbage cans last night and made that mess; I just moved the cans so that they'd be able to shovel it up easier. Edward is extremely professional when it comes to his work, you have to know that?"

"I don't," I told him honestly. "He has himself spread thin, he isn't here to begin work this morning, and he's about to start work on a new project that will take him away from finishing work on your house. My son has an attitude when it comes to being told that he's in over his head and it will reflect in his work."

"Why don't you join me for a cup of coffee? I think we have a few things to talk about, especially since our children are living together." Charlie left the door open as he went inside, leaving me to follow him. Charlie poured me a cup of coffee and we sat at his kitchen table. I could tell he had something on his mind, so I deferred to him at first. "I've gotten to know your son pretty well in my dealings with him, and I've noticed that you seem a little critical of him. I don't mean to get into your family business, but the way you describe him makes him sound like a child, instead of the twenty-six year old man running a successful business."

"But that's just it, Charlie, he has too many balls in the air, how can six people possibly handle working on two houses at the same time? Plus all of the other side projects he does, it isn't wise."

With a smirk, Charlie spoke his next words very carefully, "Carlisle, do you only treat one patient at a time at the hospital?"

"Of course not, I have to treat multiple patients at the same time, but that is completely different," I said defensively, surely he saw that.

"Is it really? Edward has clients he does small jobs for. Replace a faucet, or paint a room…things that could take a few hours to two days, and usually only use one or two of his men. Then he has jobs like mine, where we have a laundry list of things that need to be done, but we're doing them as I'm able to afford them. Edward may spend a year doing things around here because I couldn't pay him for them all at once, and I refuse to let him lay out the overhead simply because I'm Bella's father and the Chief."

That thought hadn't occurred to me, that it was Charlie's finances that were slowing up the work on his house. He still had more to say, so I sat there and quietly listened. "Your son has this big project coming up, and it will be steady work for his men, and there's the promise of more work like it in the future. He's teaching these young men valuable skills that can help them both professionally and personally, and Jared and Paul are able to better support their families because they have the second job that works around their night shifts. Edward's crew is well paid and well looked after. They have health insurance through him, which is something that even Bella doesn't get from her job at the store.

"I know Esme, and she's not the type to throw money at a venture that isn't sound, even if it is her son. Your Edward is a great man, someone I'm proud to see my daughter dating and happy to hire because he knows his trade. It can be hard to not look at your son like the boy that needed your guidance but didn't want it, but he isn't that person anymore. Maybe having Bella living so far away until she chose to be closer while in college gave me a different perspective on it, but I think that you've raised a fine young man."

I sat there, my coffee barely touched as I thought about what Charlie had said. He spoke about my son with such pride and respect, and for the first time in a while I thought about all of the things he'd mentioned. I'd spent so much time angry at him for his choice of field and the fact that he had to struggle when he could have gone an easier route, that I never saw that what he'd built from nothing was pretty amazing for only being in business two years. It seemed I had a lot to make up for.


	63. Chapter 63

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 63**

**EPOV**

What the fuck had happened today?

I showed up to work at Charlie's and was astonished to find my dad leaving the house. He didn't say much, but what he did spoke volumes.

He was proud of me.

It was unbelievable how easily a few simple words could completely change your day. I knew my dad loved me, but having him be proud of me was something very different. I could see from the look on his face that Charlie had been in on his enlightening, but after he asked me if Bella and I would come to Thanksgiving at their house, I flipped the offer around. Bella had expressed a wish to host a big Thanksgiving meal, so we were planning to invite some of our friends and her dad, so I told him that we'd like mom and him to join us at our house. With a promise to talk about it and set everything up and a real hug, I watched my dad leave and got to work.

Jared, Paul, and I had done all the prep work, so we climbed up and got harnessed and started working. Charlie's roof was small, so we were able to get it done today and clean up everything but the plastic sheeting, which we'd need for the rest of the week while we painted the exterior.

I drove home and got in the shower so that I'd be cleaned up and ready when Bella came home. I knew that she was in the mood to cook tonight, so as long as she was happy, I'd take a well cooked meal.

I came down from the master bathroom to find Bella filling a pot with water for pasta. The sauce had just been put on the stove.

"Baby, I have the best news," I told her; too fucking excited to hold it in.

"What it is?" she asked.

"I showed up to Charlie's and my dad was there," I started, gauging her reaction. When she didn't say anything I continued. "He had obviously been talking to Charlie, but it seems that your dad did what even my mom had failed at, because he gave me a hug, told me he was proud of me and invited us to Thanksgiving at their house."

"Edward, are you serious? That's wonderful, oh sweetheart, I'm so glad he came around!" Bella had her arms wrapped around me tight as we celebrated the progress I'd made that day.


	64. Chapter 64

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 64**

**BPOV **

October flew by us, with a lot of changes. Edward had completed the work on Charlie's place and tied up a lot of his odd jobs so that as soon as the paperwork on the sale was complete they could get in there, which should be next week.

Amun was being even shorter with Alistair, and Tanya was really withdrawn. It's odd to say I wish things were the way they'd been when I started working there, but their mood shifts made me nervous, because I couldn't figure out what would cause it.

Bree and I had become fast friends in the last month and she even started hanging out with us, though she seemed to always be the first one out. Rosalie had said that she thought something a little off may have happened to her, and I tended to agree, though we didn't voice that to the rest of the group.

Jasper and Alice had talked, though it was very limited and they still weren't spending time together. She believed him when he told her about when the photos were likely sent and saved to his phone, but she wasn't ready to start dating again. She was going to be going out with everyone for Halloween tonight though.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out with us tonight?" Alice asked as she told me about their latest conversation.

"No, we're watching movies and laying low. Going out in big groups hasn't worked out well for us," I told her and she laughed a little.

"It hasn't done much for me either. This is the first time since that night that I've even been in Forks. I've been focusing on my final semester, because I have no idea what I'm doing afterwards. Part of me wants to get back together with Jasper and make it work because I do care about him, but another part of me wonders if this happened to sever ties with Seattle so I could go back home to New York."

I could understand those feelings, but I also knew Alice. "What does your gut tell you?"

"That I can run an online business from anywhere and that opening a boutique in Seattle is just as good of an idea as opening one in New York. And Kate has already told me that she wants to be the manager of my boutique when I do open one. She's so ready to graduate and just be done with everything, though between you and I, she doesn't want to be at the store the rest of her life." Alice wasn't telling me anything that I didn't already know.

"If she wanted to, I'd think she was seriously insane. I'm only there because I have to be, but trust me, there would have to be major changes for me to stay there long term," I stated plainly, because I could already see that there were things that would only get worse with time.

"Like Jasper inheriting his father's half of the business?" Alice asked and I almost spit out my tea.

"What are you talking about? Eleazar doesn't own the business himself?" That was a shocking development.

"No, Gerald made his money with the shipping company, and when Eleazar wanted to open the store, he didn't have enough money to do it himself, so his older brother invested in the business. He's a silent partner, but he hasn't let Eleazar buy him out because he wants to leave his half of the business to Jasper. And Gerald isn't doing well from what Jasper told me last night."

"Jasper never really talks about his parents. I know his mother isn't well, but I didn't realize that his father was sick also." I really felt bad knowing that this was something Jasper was dealing with and not many people knew about it.

"Caring for her is wearing down his father, and Gerry's not young. His dad is sixty-nine, there's eleven years between him and Eleazar," Alice reminded me.

"How are they so far apart?" I asked, because I truly didn't know the history like I would have growing up here.

"They had two sisters who were between the two of them, but they died in a car accident right after the eldest one got her license. Eleazar was eight, I think? I don't know, but anyway, Gerry got married and started the business, but his wife left him, and then he eventually met Janine and they had Jasper when Gerry was forty or so. And now his mom is fifty-three and her Parkinson's disease is getting a lot worse. Jasper wants to move back in and help his father, but Gerry said he'd hire a nurse if he had to and told him that he wants Jasper to remember his mother's strength, not as he would see her if he had to care for her every day. That's probably what bothers him most," Alice finished, trying to hide the sound of her sniffling.

"I'm glad Jasper has you to support him, Alice, because I think Emmett might be the only person outside his family that knows as much as you do, and Jasper and Emmett have been friends since they were in diapers."

"Yeah, it's rough on him, but I think having someone who only knows them through him is what makes it easy to talk to me. I don't know Gerry from hunting trips, or Janine from our parents being friends, Jasper's my only connection, and my only concern," Alice whispered.

"I think that statement right there says everything you need to know about what happens when you graduate," I told Alice. "Look, I'm going to start on dinner, but let's get together soon and catch up."

"Okay, Bella, enjoy your night."


	65. Chapter 65

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 65**

**BPOV**

I started working on dinner and was just opening the bottle of wine when Edward walked in. "Hey, Baby. I'm going to shower quickly, and then we can eat."

"Okay, Hon," I called as I finished getting dinner out of the oven.

Twenty minutes later, we were sitting down to casserole and wine, telling each other about our days.

"Did you know Jasper's parents' were that bad off?" I asked, because I assumed they'd been invited to the barbeque his parents had thrown.

"When I saw them at my parents', his mom wasn't well at all. This year has been hard on them, and even his dad was struggling when they went on that last hunting trip. Jasper's trying to spend a lot of time with them because he's worrying about them."

"That's sad, I didn't even know he was dealing with it, he keeps it so close to the vest."

"I know, but that's how Jasper is with his family," Edward admitted as we finished up dinner.

We cleaned up from dinner and then Edward and I turned out the light, starting our Hitchcock movie marathon with _Rear Window. _While Hitchcock's movies weren't something to scare you in the sense of traditional horror films, there was a spooky quality to them and they were great old movies. We followed up _Rear Window_ with _The Birds_, and I had to admit that movie made me jump a few times.

"Bella, what has you so keyed up with this one?" Edward asked as I snuggled closer.

"My mom and I were living in a place near the water in Florida when I was like twelve. This predates her husband and probably her last four moves. Anyway, we were watching TV and this movie came on so we decided to watch it. Well, in the middle of the movie, a thunderstorm started up and right when the birds were going crazy at the end of the movie, one of the metal garbage can lids came loose and flew at the window, breaking it and scaring the shit out of us." I had barely finished the story when Edward started laughing. "You ass, don't laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry, but I could just picture a young you sitting there screaming because you thought the birds were coming to get you for real." He managed to hold in his guffaws long enough to spit out the sentence, but I was off the couch.

"You can go and sleep in the guest room tonight, I'm going to bed," I said as he stopped the movie.

"Baby, I'm sorry. We'll forget about the end of this and we'll bring _Psycho_ upstairs to finish in bed." He was still smirking at me, but I wasn't giving in that easy.

"If you think that by cuddling with me while Norman Bates hacks at people means that you're going to get lucky, you're crazy."

Edward's laughter rang out again as we locked up for the night and made our way upstairs for the rest of the evening.


	66. Chapter 66

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

Sorry about posting during the radio silence that ffn had this weekend. If you didn't get to see the chapters that went up over the weekend, go back to chapter 61 and start there. Thanks to banshee69 for review #300 on ffn. Hope you enjoy today's offering, but I need to warn you, there's a little tissue warning for this block.

**Chapter 66**

**BPOV**

All the papers were signed and the guys had started demo on the house on Monday. Edward said they'd been lucky that there weren't any real structural issues. A few beams in the basement needed to be replaced, but that was more Edward's perfectionist tendencies than a real threat. Everything was outdated, so they ripped up the floors, tore down the kitchen and were now removing every piece of sheetrock that was in there, before they tore down the exterior.

I finished work at 2pm and headed to the deli counter at the Thriftway to pick up lunch for the boys, because I knew Edward would be pushing to get as much work done before the first big break.

It was just after two when I pulled up to the house on Spartan Avenue, spotting Collin and Seth outside throwing sheetrock into the dumpster.

"You here to see the boss?" Seth asked as I walked up, taking the offered hard hat.

"I brought sandwiches and salads; I hoped that I could convince him to take a break if I fed you all."

"We'll be eating in shifts to keep the work going, but I know he'll be happy to see you," Collin added as we entered the house.

Edward was in what I was guessing had been the kitchen, all sweaty and sexy as he talked to Jared. "Finish tearing down those last two rooms upstairs and then fix the sections of subfloor I told you about now that the beam was fixed this morning. Paul and I will be on the roof all afternoon doing the demo so that we can knock out the new roof tomorrow and begin the work on the porches. I'd like to be done with the exterior by next week, so we can have the plumbing replaced the week after that."

"You can tackle the roof after lunch," I said, catching Edward's attention.

"Hey, Bella, what are you doing here?" Edward asked, smiling down at me as he kissed my forehead.

"I'm feeding your crew so no one collapses from exhaustion," I teased. "Have you boys stopped moving since you got here?"

"Bella, I want the keys to this place in Felix's hands by the beginning of February, and with the weather coming into play, that means that we need to get moving before the weather starts to turn."

"That's fair enough," I conceded, "but come sit out in the back of my truck and eat, then send the boys off to eat as well."

"Fine. Guys, lunch is here," Edward yelled and suddenly, the two men who hadn't been in the room had appeared. We went outside and I handed out what I'd bought and everyone dug into the sandwiches on the porch while Edward and I went to my truck. "Thank you, Baby. This was really sweet of you."

"I had ulterior motives in coming here," I admitted, which immediately caught Edward's attention.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like how sexy you are in your wife beater and flannel, all sweaty and manly…"

"Baby, unless you want the boys to get a show, I suggest you leave that talk until we get home tonight," Edward warned as I let out a giggle.

"Fine, party pooper. I'll just have to think about you back at home. I'm trying to plan out Thanksgiving now that it's so big. We're like twelve people at this point."

"I'm sure you'll make dinner wonderful, Bella, and my mom is so excited to be coming over to spend the day with us."

I was about to answer him when my phone rang, I looked down to see it was Alice. "Hey, Alice, what's up?"

"Bella, I've got some bad news. Jasper's mom died."


	67. Chapter 67

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 67**

**BPOV**

"Oh, my God, what happened?" I asked as Edward reached out to touch my knee. I met his eyes and mouthed to him what had happened and his face fell.

"She had pneumonia. Gerry tried to get her to go to the doctor, but she kept telling him that it was a cold and it would pass. He woke up in the middle of the night and she wasn't responding to him, so he called 911 and by this morning there was nothing they could do. I'm about twenty minutes from Forks, and I'm staying through the weekend. I told my teachers there was a death in the family and I'm about to meet Jasper and Gerry at the house."

"Alice, tell Jasper whatever he needs, just call us. If he needs coverage at work, or anything -"

"Eleazar is going to work his shifts, and between the split shifts it will give everyone a chance to go to the services and pay their respects. But I'll let him know that he can call you or Edward if he needs to." Alice seemed to be handling everything, and that was probably what Jasper needed the most right now.

"Thank you, Alice. Take good care of him." I hung up and looked at Edward.

"I'm surprised that Alice is that much in the loop," Edward remarked.

"They've been getting a lot closer, and deep down she loves him as much as he loves her. So it's only a matter of when they get back together, so I guess he called her and she ran to comfort him," I explained.

"Good, because Jasper tends to internalize things, so she'll get him to talk about it."

"Okay, Edward, I'm going to head out, but I will see you tonight. I love you," I told him and his face softened.

"I love you, too, Bella. You're my whole world, I hope you know that."

"Ditto, Baby." I shot him a watery smile as he pulled me close for a kiss before he returned to work and I drove home.


	68. Chapter 68

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 68**

**BPOV**

The only wake I could remember going to was my Nana Swan's when I was nine. It had been a traumatic experience because Renee had put me on a plane by myself and Harry had picked me up at the airport in Seattle. Besides that, I could only recall tearful condolences that did little to make it easier. It was that thought that plagued me Friday night as I put on my black dress and spent the time to do my hair instead of my perma-ponytail.

"I know it's wrong to say with where we're going, but I have t take you out more often, because you look beautiful tonight." I could see Edward's reflection in the bathroom mirror as he leaned against the doorframe in his suit. He was smirking as he walked up behind me and hugged me around the waist.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Are you ready to go?" Edward asked and I nodded, walking into the bedroom hand in hand.

Entering the funeral parlor twenty minutes later, we were met with a large crowd of people in the outer room. Wading through and saying hello to those Edward or I knew, we eventually made it to the room where the wake was being held.

Jasper was standing beside his father, with all the Denalis close by. Alice was speaking to one of the men who worked there, but approached as we made our way to where the men were standing. Edward dropped my hand as he embraced Jasper, pulling him close and whispering something to him. The men released each other and I walked into Jasper's open arms.

"Jazz, I'm sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you're going through," I whispered and he squeezed me tighter.

"Thanks, Bella, it means a lot that you came." He released me and I saw the tears slowly fall.

"There's nowhere else I would be," I swore with a squeeze of his hand before Edward guided me to Gerald.

"Gerry, this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Gerry Whitlock."

Gerry took my hand and squeezed it, before wiping a stray tear off my cheek, whispering, "'I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.'"

A soft laugh escaped me as I shook my head. "Quoting Tolkien to an English scholar, and I'm supposed to be offering you my comfort."

"You are just by being here to support my son. He's told me a lot about you, including how you came to need that particular accessory." Gerry gestured to my cast. "Thank you for coming, Dear Heart."

I hugged Gerry and then Edward and I went up to pay our respects at the casket. Edward knelt down and prayed and I followed, not really knowing what to say. I knew Edward was Catholic, but that was something we'd never talked about in any real detail. Having been raised Lutheran because of Charlie; I had very little experience going to church.

Moving into the row of chairs behind the family row, the room refilled and everyone began to take their seats. Eleazar and Carmen, along with the three girls all sat down, but when Alice went to take the seat next to Jasper, Irina sat her purse in it and then shot her a look.

Alice started to walk away, but Jasper gripped her arm, pulling her into his lap and ignoring his obnoxious cousin. That was where she sat during the entire viewing. The priest did a nice little service, and we said another goodbye before Edward and I headed home.

Climbing into bed that night, Edward held me a little tighter, and I snuggled in as close as I could, needing to feel him beside me.


	69. Chapter 69

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 69**

**BPOV**

Work was unbelievably difficult the week following Janine's wake and funeral. Jasper wasn't returning to work until Wednesday, so our truck day on Monday was hectic and there seemed to be plenty of drama.

Alistair was annoying the shit out of everyone, picking fights with Amun, Emmett, and Liam, and interrupting people who were helping their own customers and trying to sound like he knew better than anyone else did. Meanwhile, Amun was always off in a corner with the laptop doing inventories, or scribbling furiously on his clipboard.

It was sad that Randall, the thirty-something new hire was already gone, because on the third Monday of the month he was fired. Evidently, he got behind the controls of the Hilo after lying and said he'd used one at his last job, and drove the forks about a foot through the wall of Eleazar's office.

Wednesday was my last day working with the cast, as I had an appointment with Dr. Cullen after work for x-rays and a meeting with the physical therapists so that I could be given some exercises to strengthen any weakness that the break may have caused.

Edward was taking a break from the last of the work on the exterior and the beginning of the plumbing work to go with me to the hospital.

"Are you ready to have two hands again?" Dr. Cullen asked as I walked into the ER.

"Definitely, I'm dreading a reason that will keep me in the cast longer so that I'll be one-handed trying to cook Thanksgiving dinner," I told him and Edward chuckled.

"Either way, I want Edward lifting the turkey, you're still going to be a little weak even if the cast is removed, and we don't need you burning yourself," Dr. Cullen reminded as the nurse came to take me to x-ray.

I sat still while they took the pictures and then followed her back, to see the physical therapist waiting with Edward and his father. Dr. Nichols looked over my arm and asked me to test my strength and grip, as well as my ability to rotate my wrist. He was happy with what he saw and when Carlisle looked at the x-ray to see that my arm had healed nicely, I was given the green light to ease back into normal activity.

"You were very lucky with that break, it could have been much more of a problem than it turned out to be, and because of that, you can simply do the exercises at home to build up the strength and range of motion, though you don't seem to have any problems with that." Dr. Nichols said before moving on to his next patient, making me promise to call him if I had any problems with my wrist.

After finding Dr. Cullen and saying goodbye until next week, Edward and I drove our separate ways, he went back to work, while I went home to relax and do some laundry.

But a phone call from Charlie killed my plan to relax.


	70. Chapter 70

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

This is the last of the chapters for today, catch you over the weekend.

**Chapter 70**

**BPOV**

It was before five when the phone rang and I answered my dad's call.

"The cast came off, so everything is back to normal with my hand," I told him, but his first sentence let me know that Chief Swan was calling me, not my dad.

"Bella, how well do you know Bree Tanner?"

Surprised by his question I answered honestly, "I know her pretty well for working and hanging out with her over the last two months. She's kind of private, but we think something happened in her past that messed her up. Why do you ask?"

"I can't tell you what I found out after doing a background check, but Mark was on his way back to the station late last night and he saw her car parked in the back of the parking lot off of Main Street."

"Okay, so she probably crashed somewhere in town last night," I reasoned. "What, did she do something wrong?"

"No, it's just…" my dad trailed off for a minute before rushing forward, "she was sleeping in her car. From what he could see it looks like she is living in her car and the things we found when checking her out confirm that she doesn't have a current address, just a P.O. Box."

"Oh, my god, are you saying she's homeless?" That thought broke my heart. Bree and I had become pretty good friends at work, and the thought of her living like that killed me.

"It looks like it, Bells. Maybe you guys can figure something out for her, because it worries me to see a young girl like her living like that." I could hear the sadness in my dad's voice, so I was quick to reassure him.

"We'll do what we can. I've got to go, but I'll talk to you later. Bye, Charlie."

"Bye, Bella."

I hung up the phone and immediately dialed Edward. "Baby, I need to talk to you, can I stop by for a few minutes?"

"Sure, I'll see you soon," Edward said before hanging up.

Dialing Bree, I called and asked her to come over for dinner around six. She agreed, so I was off to meet with Edward and see about keeping my promise.


	71. Chapter 71

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 71**

**BPOV**

Edward and the guys were actually cleaning up when I got there, so he called to Jared and Paul to finish up before locking the house for the night.

"I almost called you and told you to just wait at home so we could talk. The rough plumbing is done so we can start on electrical tomorrow. I hate that we've barely started this project and we're already three days behind." Edward shifted back and forth before looking at the house, and I could tell he was thinking about the financial side.

"You're three days behind, but the exterior is complete. That was something you were planning on waiting until the end to do, but you were able to get rid of that old paint and put a protective coat on the brick so they look brand new. That was work that would have been done in January, but instead it's done now and you don't have to think about power washing in the winter. It's just a redistribution of work."

I smiled at Edward as he relaxed his posture a little. "You always have the perfect way to put things in perspective for me."

"Hey, it's why you keep me around," I teased, but he pulled me close, letting his lips brush mine.

"I keep you around for a lot more than that, Bella. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

"Bree's coming over for dinner tonight, and I wanted to discuss something with you before she gets there, because I have a request to make." I knew I was coming off way too formal, but Edward took my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Would you rather have this conversation at home?" Edward asked.

I looked around to see that no one was near us, so I spoke quickly. "No, I don't think I can wait. Charlie called me today and told me that Mark saw Bree sleeping in her car last night, and when they ran a check on her he said that she's homeless. Wherever she was living in Port Angeles fell through and we're both worried about her. You know that this town isn't the super safe place that it appears to be, and the thought of something happening to her…" I trailed off and Edward's hands reached up to cup my cheeks.

"You want her to move into the guest room?" Edward anticipated my request and I nodded. "You seem to have a habit of taking in strays, Bella. Should I think about getting us a pet?"

"Not yet, let's get a few more things paid off first," I joked. "Are you okay with asking Bree to move in until she can get on her feet?"

"Yeah, she's welcome to stay with us as long as she'd like. Do you need me to pick anything up at the store?"

"No, I'm going to go grocery shopping tomorrow for the regular stuff and then all of the Thanksgiving fixings."

"How many people are we having over?"

"Thirteen. I invited Alice over before everything happened with Jasper and his family, so I extended the invitation to Jasper and Gerry and they agreed."

"Damn, I'm glad you had enough forethought to get sixteen place settings."

Smacking his chest, we got in our separate cars and drove home.


	72. Chapter 72

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 72**

**BPOV**

Forty-five minutes later I was putting the baked chicken and potatoes on the table just as the doorbell rang. Edward let Bree in, and we sat down to eat. We made small talk for the entirety of the meal, and after things were cleaned up, Edward excused himself to his office while I led Bree into the living room.

"Thanks for dinner, Bella, but I really should get going," Bree started, but I grabbed her hand.

"I'd actually like it if you could talk to me for a bit." I blew out a breath as we moved to the couch.

"Bella, is everything okay?" Bree was immediately concerned, which made me feel even worse.

"I hope so, but this doesn't have to do with me…Deputy Mark saw your car parked in the lot off of Main Street last night. What happened to the place in Port Angeles?"

"Oh god," she whispered, "how much do you know?"

"Nothing, my father ran the plates for him and saw some things, but he can't tell me any of that. He just said I should talk to you and see if there was someplace you could stay. You have a place to stay, you realize…Edward and I have a guest room and it's yours as long as you need it."

Bree started crying and I pulled her closer. "Can you go get Edward, I'd rather not have to tell this story more times than necessary and he should know if I'm living with you both."

Nodding, I pulled Edward out of the office and we sat down on the other part of the sectional sofa, giving Bree some space.

"My mother had been married before my dad, and had my brother Joshua right before they got divorced. She married my dad, and had me when Joshua was six. Joshua was a really smart kid, but introverted and always off on his own." She let her head drop down as she stared at the carpet, taking several deep breaths before she started speaking again. "I was seven when it started…he'd sneak into my room and…well, it went on for a while because he'd convinced me that they'd blame me for making him love me, and he was right. My mother blamed me and told me to keep my mouth shut, but it was a little late for that.

"The news killed my father, literally," she continued. "He shot himself the morning the story broke in the local paper, and my mom hired the best defense attorney to represent my brother. A local women's shelter had a lawyer that did pro-bono work and my brother was convicted of statutory rape and molestation. But I didn't have anything. Three bags that I'd managed to pack, and some things that a neighbor pulled from the trash and brought to me at the shelter. I went from shelter to shelter because they all have maximum time that a person can stay there as part of their nature, but being a minor, they would send me along on the next stop down the road, but I turned eighteen and there wasn't much left for me to do but try to start again."

"So you moved here?" I asked.

"It is pretty much as far as I can get away from there, and the shelter in Port Angeles was willing to help me as an adult, but my transitional housing was only for four months. I had a job, so they told me that my application couldn't be renewed with the number of people on the waiting list that didn't have anywhere to turn. I've been sleeping in my car for two weeks now, hoping to save up enough money to eventually be able to rent something cheap."

Giving her a few minutes to compose herself, I offered her the box of tissues and sat silently. "You'll be okay, Bree. We're here to help." Making a split second decision, I moved to sit beside her. "No one but Edward, Sam, Emily, and the police know this, but at the beginning of the summer some creep with a record followed me out of a bar. Edward had been there and saw the guy, and followed the both of us only to stop him from attacking me. I'm not trying to draw any parallels to what you went through, but I wanted you to know that we all have our scars and that we're here for you. And if you get to the point where you'd want to let others in, our group is very protective of our own, and we've already claimed you as a part of us."

"I guess you're pretty happy to have a boyfriend that's always looking out for you," Bree said with a timid smile.

"We weren't even talking at the time, this was before we got together, but there are nights when something will make me think of that night and I get a flash of what could have happened…just know that I'm here if you want to talk."

Bree wrapped her arms around me and pulled me tight. "Thank you for sharing your story, and your home. I'm just going to get my overnight bag; I can bring in the rest in the morning."

"I'm going to head back into the office and shut things down for the night while you get settled," Edward said, walking over and offering Bree a hug, which she eased into. "Welcome home."


	73. Chapter 73

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**Chapter 73**

**BPOV**

The week between Bree moving in and Thanksgiving was a lot less stressful than I had imagined it would be. Bree and I spent her first morning making a grocery run early and then she settled herself in the guest room while I put away our purchases. The veggies and last minute things would be bought the day before, but we'd done a pretty good job of tackling most of the list.

Bree had been adamant about pulling her weight around the house, since we wouldn't let her pay rent while she was desperately trying to save money, so she offered to take over a lion's share of the cleaning and cooking on the nights she didn't work the afternoon shift.

It was fun having her to hang out with, but thankfully when we said goodnight she went to the basement allowing Edward and I to still have the privacy of our suite upstairs. I think that Bree appreciated having the basement to herself as well, as she happily settled into life with us.

After work on Wednesday, I walked over to the store to buy the last minute items and then drove home to prep. I'd been doing my PT exercises, but there were some things that I needed an extra set of hands for. The turnips and sweet potatoes were prepped, cooked, and mashed, and then they were put in glass cookware and covered so that I could just heat them up while the turkey was resting tomorrow. The carrots were cut and put in water until tomorrow and the turkey was cleaned and prepped, safely covered in the fridge to finish defrosting before the morning.

My schedule was written out and everything was organized, so the last thing that I had to do was set up the dining room, which Edward promised to help with in the morning once the turkey was in.

With the nervous energy starting to take over, Edward and I headed upstairs to get some sleep before our first large holiday together began tomorrow.


	74. Chapter 74

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

This is the last one for the day, will be back Tuesday with a new batch! For all the new readers, I'd really like to know how you found out about me and this story, so drop a review or a PM if you're new to my writing, because this story has brought in a lot of new readers, and if there's a rec or something out there that I don't know about, I'd love to thank the people responsible.

**Chapter 74**

**BPOV**

I woke up with my alarm at eight, and after a quick shower I was downstairs doing my prep. The stuffing was ready and sitting in the handy cage that would hold it securely in the turkey while it cooked, and Hank, our turkey, was just coming out of his little bath. Bree was already chuckling at me as we towel-dried the bird and sat it in the pan.

"You don't season it at all?" she asked about my method for cooking the turkey.

"No, because the gravy will add nice flavor to it, so I don't want them competing. With this many things on the table, I've learned that less is more, especially when my mom would attack every time I tried to be really creative in the kitchen. I think its part of the reason that I play around more now, because she isn't here to judge it."

"I can understand that," Bree whispered as the oven chimed, letting us know that the oven was done preheating and the now stuffed bird could be put in.

"Help me lift this monster into the oven, and then we can do a little more cutting before we take a break."

The next two hours were spent on the remainder of the little tasks before Edward brought up the folding table from the basement. We decided to sit it at the foot of our large table, seating the parents at it in a place of prominence with the rest of us taking up the main table. I was nervous about putting Edward's parents there, but he said they wouldn't care that the table was plastic because they could hold court over the meal from their seats.

Bree and I took out the tablecloths and set the table, deciding which bowls and plates to use for which dishes since we didn't have a china set that included these types of things. A few well placed napkins and the general warm color of our plates tied in the autumnal colors nicely, quelling my fears until the timer went off again and I was back in the middle of the meal.

Our first guests arrived at one-thirty, with Edward taking on the role of entertaining them with the cheese platter I'd set out to hold everyone over until dinner. Bree and I would come out and talk and joke with Jared and his wife, Kim, and Paul, who brought his wife, Rachel, with him. Alice, Jasper, and Gerry arrived at two, allowing us to say a quick hello before another timer called us away.

Edward's parents arrived just after two, and my dad walked in just before two-thirty rounding out our group.

Esme came to visit me in the kitchen, asking if I needed any help, but I assured her that we were well underhand. The last hour of cook time passed quickly and soon we were throwing in the sides and making the gravy as the turkey rested before I carved it.

Personally, I thought carving the turkey at the table was something best left in the movies. Trying to break off a leg or a wing and not get flying debris on your future in-laws was a chance I'd rather not take. So, Bree worked quickly to carry out the sides as they were finished and then everyone sat at the table as I carried out the platter of white meat, Bree following behind with the plate of dark meat.

We placed the food on the table and I took the seat beside Edward as we bowed our head to say Grace.

After the prayer, the food began to make its way around the table as our guests complemented me on the meal. I blushed demurely at the kind words as the meal continued with no hint of awkwardness or drama. There were a few nostalgic looks from Gerry as he sat beside Carlisle and Jasper, but the meal appeared to be a success.

After dinner, Esme insisted on joining me in the clean up as most of our guests returned to the living room to relax before dessert. I put the apple pie in the oven while the dishes began to come in, everything going into Tupperware to be eaten over the weekend as dishes were loaded into the dishwasher and the pots and pans were scrubbed.

"Bella, that was a marvelous meal, and a very sweet gesture inviting the Whitlock men. I'm sure this was a tough day for them, but you could barely tell it from the look on their faces."

"I wanted it to be a special day for everyone, I've never really had a big holiday meal, so I wanted to take the opportunity to invite everyone over, and with Edward and Carlisle getting along so much better now, it made everything easier." I hoped that she believed that I wanted this to be a perfect day for all of them. I had so few big happy memories with my mom because she was too busy forgetting about things like holidays and the like. If it wasn't for her current husband, I'd doubt she'd have power and running water at the moment.

"I'm glad you decided to stay close to Charlie, Bella, I can see you needed us as much as we need you in our lives, my son most of all." With a warm hug, Esme left Bree and I to set the table for dessert and wait for the pie and coffee to be done so we could carry out the various pies and cookies.

Dessert was filled with stories about what we were thankful for and hearty laughter. Once the last plate was cleared, Jared, Kim, Paul, and Rachel were the first to head out, wanting to stop by Emily and Sam's for some more dessert.

Charlie had to work the evening shift, so he was next to leave, needing to go home and change first.

Alice, Jasper, and Gerry got up to go, and as we said our goodbyes, Gerry pulled me close and whispered, "Thank you for taking us in and giving us a big family meal. I know that between you and Alice, Jasper will be well looked after. You're a rare woman, Bella, and Edward's lucky to have you. And I made sure he knew it."

Giggling at his flattery, I kissed his cheek. "I was happy to have you with us today; you're always welcome to spend the holidays with us Gerry."

"Take care, Dear Heart," Gerry said, walking out the door behind Alice.

Carlisle and Esme were the last to leave, giving us both hugs and reminding us that Christmas Eve was at their house before leaving the trio of us to relax.

"Ladies, are the dishes in the dishwasher?" Edward asked.

"They are," I told him happily.

"Thank God. Now sit down, I'm exhausted just watching how hard you worked to make this meal special, but it's time to call it a day and watch some TV."

Bree and I laughed hard as he pulled us into the plush couch to do nothing for the rest of the day.


	75. Chapter 75

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Mizzdee has just returned the last two block of chapters, including the epilogue for this, so I will post as often as I'm able to until I hit complete. (Love you wifey) Work will try to make that a little difficult, as I'm working a ton of overtime the next three weeks, but there won't be any huge waits through the remainder of this story. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I was able to stay ahead of this story without reducing the number of posts. And I know you all have enjoyed that as well.

**Chapter 75**

**BPOV**

I didn't know it could be like this in such a small town, but with the particular items that were on sale over the holiday weekend and the fact that it was the kickoff of the holiday shopping season Black Friday was insanity at the store.

Bree and I walked into a mad house and Tanya and Kate gleefully sprinted out the door as soon as we were stationed behind the registers. Items that were part of the special sale were selling out quickly and we couldn't give them rain checks because they were limited quantities.

People were screaming about us being out of things on the first day of the sale, telling us we should have ordered more, others complaining about the lines, all for items that were marked so low that we were barely making a profit from them.

By three o'clock, Amun had had it with Alistair and was in a foul mood. I asked someone to help a customer in one of the aisles, but they were too busy having a staring match to hear me.

"Amun, there's no one to open the cage and show him the drill he wants to buy," I complained as he shook his head at me.

"Alistair, go open the cage," Amun barked.

"Why can't you do it? I'm busy," Alistair fired back.

"Busy doing what?" Amun asked.

"I don't care which one of you does it, just one of you take your keys out of your pocket and help the customer." That was met with a pair of heated stares but I couldn't care less. Amun finally stormed into the back, leaving Alistair to help the customer.

"Way to go, little one," one of the regulars said with a wink as I tried to keep the line moving.

By the time I got my break at six o'clock, Liam and I were exhausted and bitching about the rest of the weekend.

"God, I have ten hours of this bullshit tomorrow," I groaned.

"Yes, but at least you don't have to look people in the eye all day and tell them that they're two days late to get what they wanted and that there isn't a rain check for anything in the entire fucking store," Liam grumbled as we both laughed. "That was pretty ballsy, yelling at the guys over the radio like that."

"They had it coming," was my only response. A few minutes later I found him and asked him about it. "What did you mean about me yelling at them over the radio?"

"What you said went over the walkie talkies. You must have leaned into the button, we didn't hear the whole thing, just that one comment," Liam explained and I groaned.

"Oh shit, he probably thinks I did that on purpose," I remarked as I went to find Amun and smooth things over with him.


	76. Chapter 76

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Oh and a lot of people seem to be very wary of Bree and don't want her anywhere near our pair. She's not a threat, just a young girl who needs someone to show her a little kindness.

**Chapter 76**

**EPOV**

I hung up the phone with Alice; having finally calmed her down enough to catch a few breaths as Jasper came bursting in the doors at his dad's place. From what I'd gotten from her, she found Gerry in bed, completely unresponsive when she went to wake him for dinner. She'd called 911 and then Jasper, but he had been locking up so he hadn't answered right away.

I couldn't wrap my head around what Jasper was going through again. Almost a month apart, he will have buried both of his parents. His mother had been a crushing blow, but Gerry and him were best friends, losing him could be the thing that would break Jasper.

I shook my head as I heard the girls pull up, their laughter echoing off the clearing to enter the house long before they did. When the door did open, they stopped in their tracks, taking in my somber expression.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Bella asked, appearing at my side in an instant.

"Alice just called, Gerry died this afternoon," I whispered, hoping to soften the blow.

"What? No, Jasper closed with us, he would have left work if something-" Bella began, but I interrupted her.

"Alice went to wake him for dinner and he didn't respond. She called for an ambulance and then called Jasper, calling me afterwards hoping that you'd be here. He was gone before she'd ever gone up to check on him."

"Oh, Jasper…oh my God," Bella began to tear up. "Edward, he was just here yesterday."

"I know, Baby," I looked up to meet Bree's sad eyes.

"I'm going to look for something to throw together for dinner," Bree whispered. "We can save the leftovers for another night."

I watched her walk away, giving us the moment to try and grapple with the loss we were suffering. Even though they'd only just met, Bella and Gerry seemed to have a kinship that was gone far too soon.


	77. Chapter 77

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you all for the reviews, I know I don't respond to that many, but I've learned that with as many stories as I have in some state of WIP, you'd rather my keystrokes go towards my fics. That's why I've taken to giving shout-outs to the people who hit landmark review numbers (every 50 reviews) and then give a shout-out to frequent reviewers in my thank you at the end of the story. Your words bring a smile to my face that my co-workers and customers could never understand. Review #350 on ffn was a Guest, but thank you for taking the time to click review, and romance4me2 was #200 on twcs. Thank you hon!

**Chapter 77**

**BPOV**

For the second time in a month, we filled the Forks Funeral Home to say goodbye to a member of the Whitlock family. Things were much sadder this time around, especially for me. For the few times I'd spent time with him, I loved Gerry Whitlock, and would miss him dearly. I kept replaying his words to me; how I would help take care of Jasper and that I was a rare woman. Even his term of endearment for me, 'Dear Heart', there was a gentility to him that I would miss having in my life.

It wasn't nearly as awkward to be at the services this time, because I knew Gerry, but it still wasn't easy. The next morning at the funeral, I cried beside Edward as Jasper and everyone closest to Gerry said their goodbyes.

Driving home, I knew this week was going to be tough. We were still short from when Randall got fired, Jasper would be taking a few days off to meet with the lawyers and accountants to see where he stood, and Eleazar and Carmen were still going on a trip to Vegas for the week, leaving us to cope. I felt bad for Eleazar, understanding his need to get away from all the memories for a few days.

We managed to make it through the first couple of days, and I was glad when my day off came as I was close to pulling my hair out.

Thursday morning I was lucky enough to sleep in with my delightful boyfriend, because Mr. Yorkie had to sign off on the latest inspection before they moved ahead. It was 8:43 a.m. when my cell started ringing on the nightstand.

"Why are they calling you on your day off?" Edward groaned as I rolled over, both of us knowing it was the store.

"Hello," I rasped into the phone.

"Bella, its Amun. Did Tanya say anything to you about not coming in today or switching a shift?"

"Tanya doesn't talk to me much at all. But I know that Eleazar told her that no one could put in for a change of schedule this week with everything going on and how short we are. Why, has she not shown up yet?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"No, and I just sent Kate home to find her, so I'm cashiering right now," Amun bitched.

"I'm not coming in today," I warned, knowing where this was going.

"I wasn't going to ask you to," he said. "We're still good, right, Swan."

"Yeah, everyone has short fuses this time of year." I said, hoping that this call was coming to an end. "I'm going to go if you don't need anything else from me."

"Yeah, I'll see you on Saturday," Amun said as he hung up.

"They just can't let you have a day that's free of the store, can he?" Edward said as I settled back in beside him.

"Nope, but Tanya's MIA, so he's pissed that he's even shorter staffed than we already are," I said as Edward pulled me closer.

"I have to leave in a little while, and I'm going to be late because we're going to work on the attic. We want to put in the insulation and get the sheetrock done this afternoon and then get it prepped so that whatever we don't get done today can be finished tomorrow. If I can put the first layer of mud up by Friday evening I'll be happy. We can be done with the sheetrock by early next week and have the molding up. Then we can wire all the outlets, switches, and lighting boxes. I want all of the major work done by the holidays, that way we can come in and paint, lay the carpet, do all the small projects and then sign the papers and get our check."

"You're driven, and the guys are excited about this, you'll get it done," I told him, finally giving up and going down to make us breakfast. "How do eggs sound?"

"Perfect, Baby."


	78. Chapter 78

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 78**

**BPOV**

Edward was long gone, and I was in the middle of laundry when my phone rang again. I picked it up and saw Bree was calling, so I answered it. "Hey, Bree, what's up?"

"Tanya is gone," she whispered.

"You mean like she went away and didn't tell anyone?"

"No, like her room is completely empty and there's a note for her parents at the house. Kate found it when she went to check on her this morning and she called her parents, they're flying home."

"Holy shit; do you know what her reason was?" I seriously couldn't believe she had packed up and left in the middle of the night like that.

"No idea," Bree whispered again as she became muffled and told me she had to go before hanging up.

The rest of my day off was relaxing, and I made soup for dinner so that everyone could reheat it when they got home. Still feeling exhausted from the past few weeks, I climbed into bed and was out long before Edward came home.

I got to work a little early the next day, but Eleazar pulled me into the office right after I punched in that afternoon.

"Bella, I'd like to speak to you for a moment," Eleazar said as he offered me a seat. "I know that this is difficult with all the changes in staff and the losses we've suffered, but I would like you to step up and take on a few of Tanya's bookkeeping responsibilities."

"Wouldn't you rather have someone who's been here longer handle that?"

Eleazar shook his head and continued. "You've said that you were good with numbers and I can't trust most of the others with stuff that is this important. I'm not at the store as much as I used to be. I've spent my life making money that I'd like to enjoy now with my wife, but there are some things I have to take care of first."

"What did you want me to do?"

"First, you'd get a key to the store, so you could open if you needed to cover for someone. Most of the things in the store you already know, but I want Jasper to teach you some of the more specialized things. Jasper's learning how to order for the store, so I tried passing on a couple of the outside vendors to Tanya, but she wouldn't keep track of it, so I'd like you to do that. You'll learn how to manage the house accounts, the admin functions on the various computer systems, and eventually, I'd like to show you a few other things."

"A lot of that sounds like managerial things, won't Amun get pissed?" I had to ask, because we were on the same schedule so often now and I didn't want to step on his toes.

"Don't worry, Amun has plenty of other responsibilities and I ran this by him before mentioning it to you. It will include a raise, but I want you to be comfortable with the extra tasks. Also, if you could work the morning shift that Tanya used to work on Friday's from now on, it would be a great help."

Thinking about it a minute, it came down to time off the floor and the extra money. "Sure, I'll take the extra jobs. When do you want to start teaching me?"

"We could start Tuesday because we have two cashiers and at least two people on the floor. We'll start in here and work up to the tasks on the floor you don't know." Eleazar seemed pleased with the development, and I was too.

Now, I just had to tell Edward.


	79. Chapter 79

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 79**

**BPOV**

December was already passing me by. In the two weeks I'd been training to do the bookkeeping and additional ordering, Alistair was showing his dissatisfaction by acting out even worse than he had been. I wanted to scream, but Eleazar kept telling me that everyone got theirs in due time.

At the house on Spartan, Edward was now finishing up the electrical fixtures and the sheetrock was complete. He'd ordered the flooring and was waiting for that to come in as they started tackling the two and a half bathrooms in the house. So far they were the only rooms painted, but they were starting to pick out colors with Felix and Gianna for the time when that step came.

Meanwhile our house was another flurry of activity. I bought a fake tree amongst the decorations I got at work, much to Edward's shock, but we were surrounded by trees outside, I wanted one I didn't have to clean up after. We were minimal in the decorations, partially from a budgetary stand point, and partially because we were really the only ones to see it.

The tree was also pre-lit, so I got some of my ornaments from when I was young, and added them to Edward's personal ornaments, along with generic colored balls and a few beaded garlands. Edward claimed that it was beautiful, kissing me heartily as we invited Bree to add the ornaments she'd bought to the tree. Esme had been great about including Bree to Christmas Eve at their house and my only other obstacle was shopping.

Amazon was a lifesaver, and so was the department store in Port Angeles, but when it came to getting something for Edward, I was at a loss. I could have easily gotten him something work related, or even for his home workplace, but I honestly wanted it to be something special. We had been dating for six months and were now living together, and although we didn't discuss the 'M word', I think we both agreed that we were done looking.

It was during a girls' night in, where we all sat in the living room looking through catalogues and online that I finally found his primary gift.

"Hey guys, do you think Edward would freak out if I bought him a ring?" I asked, almost afraid of their reaction.

"It depends on whether or not you take a knee when you give it to him," Rosalie teased, eliciting a scoff from me.

"No, I'm serious. I found this gorgeous ring that is crafted out of wood. They heat it and then form it into the ring so that the grain and everything really stands out. The rings of a tree represent the years of its life; I just thought it would be nice to get him one to mark the beginning of a new year for us." I ended my explanation to six sets of eyes staring at me.

"That's really deep," Kate said, "Plus, Edward loves the woods. He's always said that working with his hands and taking the raw wood and making it into something beautiful was one of his favorite things. It didn't surprise me at all that Esme got him a house in the middle of the woods, because it's the place where he's the happiest. I think he'll love it."

"I agree," Alice said, earning nods of approval from Rose, Gianna, Vicky, and Bree.

With that settled, I called Esme, asking if she knew Edward's ring size, which she did. Placing that order, I felt much better about the DVD's and books that were already wrapped under the tree.


	80. Chapter 80

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 80**

**BPOV**

The last two weeks leading up to Christmas were truly ridiculous. We sold more power tools and gift cards than I would have imagined, and Liam, Emmett and Jasper kept trying to keep me away from Amun and Alistair.

When Tanya vanished, the only thing we really heard was that she wanted a fresh start and that she moved out while no one was home so there would be no resistance. Well, Alistair saw me get some of her tasks and said that I'd stolen her man and now I was moving in on the job she'd left behind. I had almost lost it, but Edward's reaction to my breakdown at home was much worse. He cursed and yelled for over an hour before calling Eleazar and telling him that Alistair was talking about his daughter and me in a disparaging way, earning Al a tongue-lashing from him.

I'd worked myself sick more than once, but I managed to tough it through the day and was hoping that the New Year would be a lot less stressful.

The store closed at two on Christmas Eve, so I drove home to shower and change into a red cowl neck sweater and slacks. Bree and Edward were joking in the living room when I came down, causing her to run over to me and give me a big hug.

"I already told Edward this, but I wanted to give you the first part of your gift before we go to the Cullens'. Eleazar offered me full-time to make up for losing Tanya. He said he was impressed with my work in such a short period of time and my desire to work more hours. So I'll be able to move out sooner. I spoke to Sue and I'm going to move onto the boat you used to rent."

"I'll be sad to see you go, but I will be glad that you were able to get on your own two feet that much quicker, and know that you always have a place with us," I told her as she backed up.

"Thank you for that, but I'm hoping that this time I can make it on my own," Bree told me as we collected the presents and headed over to his parents' house.


	81. Chapter 81

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 81**

**BPOV**

Walking into the Cullens' house, Esme and Carlisle both greeted me warmly and escorted the three of us to the living room to relax while Esme put the finishing touches on dinner.

"So, has the store been especially busy with the holiday shopping?" Carlisle asked Bree and I, to which we both nodded.

"It was definitely an intense month to be made full-time, but we're done with that and I'm excited for next year. I've met some pretty amazing people here in the last couple of months," Bree said with a smile towards me as Edward returned with drinks.

"Babe, I didn't even notice you snuck off, thank you."

"The three of you got to talking, so I thought I'd pop in with Mom," Edward told me as he sat at my side.

"How is the flip coming? I know you guys are taking off this week to relax and have family time, but is everything turning out how you want it?" Carlisle asked and Edward answered his father quietly.

"I'm sure Mom's kept you up to date," Edward told him, but Carlisle just shook his head.

"Your mother has shown me a few pictures, and told me what she could from her visits, but I want to hear from you if it's meeting your expectations."

"Things have had to shift a little, but we're on target," Edward started to open up. He went on for a few minutes explaining it to all of us before Esme invited us into the dining room.

Sitting down to dinner, we said a brief grace and then dug in. The conversation was flowing around the table as we enjoyed the delicious meal before us. It wasn't long before we were back in the living room, sitting beside Esme's expertly decorated tree.

"I know you will be celebrating tomorrow morning, but we had to get you some things, so let's give out our presents before we have our dessert," Esme motioned to Carlisle, who started passing out gifts.

Bree was a little shocked when she got an envelope, but as Edward emptied our bags, Esme took her gift from Bree with a smile.

"Bree, why don't you start?" Esme offered.

Bree tore open her envelope and looked at the gift card with a puzzled expression. "We don't know you that well, Bree, but from working on my feet all day at the hospital, I know how important a good pair of shoes is. That company makes some of the best professional footwear, and it seemed like an appropriate gift."

Bree smiled and whispered her thank you, a tear escaping her eyes as she watched Esme open her gift. The stain glass piece was barely revealed when Esme gasped, removing it from the box to show Carlisle. "Edward told me that you're both Catholic, and with all the windows in the back of your house, I thought it would be something you could enjoy. They use real cathedral stain glass to make the Holy Spirit roundel."

Esme crossed the living room to pull Bree into a tight hug. "That was such a thoughtful gift, sweetheart, thank you."

I looked over in just enough time to see Carlisle nod to Edward, who passed me a gift. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

I was afraid, because it almost looked like a jewelry box, but when I opened it to see airline information, the color drained from my face. "They're for the two of you to see your mother. Edward said it has been a few years since you've seen her, so we thought it would be nice for us to help you out there."

Esme smiled so brightly, I couldn't tell her that I wasn't super excited to see my mom. Hell, maybe this trip would either prove that she was getting better, or put me in a better place to let her go some.

Carlisle was opening our gift, and to be honest, I didn't really know what Edward had decided on. We'd gone back and forth between getting them some really nice lighting for the backyard, considering how much entertaining they do, or a gift card to one of their favorite restaurants in Seattle, but the box made me guess the former.

"Edward what is it?" Carlisle asked as he lifted it up.

"They're solar lights, for the porch and backyard. Bella and I were looking for something and thought they would be a perfect addition to your parties. I ordered one and had it shipped to our house as a sample to make sure we liked them, but the rest should arrive here in a few days."

"They're nice, and I like that they're solar," Carlisle told us. "Now, Edward, I want you to have an open mind about this."

I knew this was going to be interesting as soon as Carlisle said that.

"I'm scared of what's in that card," Edward said as soon as Carlisle stood to hand it to him. He opened it and looked up at his father almost immediately.

"I shouldn't have been so hard on you when you first started out, and I shouldn't have shut you out as I did. If I hadn't been a hard ass, I would have given you that to start your company, now I'm investing it in the expansion, so all of your profits can go into the business, instead of paying your mother back. You've built something amazing without any help or input from me, and that makes me even more proud of you."

Edward's hand tightened around mine as he handed me the card. "I wouldn't have been willing to accept this a few months ago, but knowing how proud you are, and how much you want me to succeed makes it mean so much more. Thank you both."

I looked down to read the card, seeing Carlisle's words in his perfect handwriting.

_Edward,_

_Now is the time to be growing your business, not paying back a debt. I should have supported you when you first started, but we'd like to forgive your debt to your mom and use that money for future projects. We're so proud of everything you've accomplished._

_Love, _

_Mom & Dad_

Edward had stood to hug both of his parents, the moment bringing tears to my eyes. After so many years of feeling isolated, Edward was once again reconciled with his father in the best way.


	82. Chapter 82

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 82**

**BPOV**

The remainder of the evening was sweet, and from Carlisle and Esme's we went home to get a good night's sleep.

Christmas was subdued for the three of us. Bree bought us a gift card to La Bella Italia in Port Angeles, and we got her a gift card for Target so she could get herself some new clothes and or with her moving she could buy things for the boat too. After the little items were opened, Edward popped the lid on the ring and gasped.

"Bella, are you asking me something?"

"No, idiot," I said with a swat, "it's a wooden ring. It symbolizes the tree's rings and the years of life etched into them. With a new year beginning together for us, I thought it would be a nice symbol, plus its actual wood, and I know you love hand crafted items."

"I love it, baby. And it makes me feel a little bad about my present."

"Why would you say that?" I asked and he handed me the card.

Written on the left side of the card was a list detailing how we would be spending New Years Eve…in Seattle.

"How do you even know about Ballet Studio?" I asked, shocked that he'd found that bar. I'd gone a few times while I was in my senior year of college, but it had become an even bigger place now that the owner had opened a second location in Oregon.

"I was searching fun; young parties and their list popped up, so I paid for our admission and went from there. We have dinner at a nice restaurant, dancing at Ballet Studio, and then a stay at a nice hotel so we don't have to worry about getting home. It's not that far from the bar, so we'll enjoy ourselves."

"Don't you dare feel bad about this gift. It's a really thoughtful night out, one that we both need," I told him as we kissed under the tree before going over to Charlie's.

Dad gave us some money to spend on whatever we wanted, which was much appreciated. And the look on his face when he opened his fishing gear was pretty awesome. He even talked Edward into going out with him once the weather got nice.

Charlie was working a double so the other guys would be able to spend as much time with their kids as possible, leaving us free to have a quiet dinner at home with Bree. She'd already begun packing in preparation of moving onto the boat, so with a final Merry Christmas, she was gone for the night, leaving Edward and I to celebrate Christmas in private.

**EN: Yes, it is that Ballet Studio. You'll see what I cooked up.**


	83. Chapter 83

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sorry for the long delay, but vacations at work meant that I had no time off last week. Enjoying my first true day to relax so I'm starting that by posting some. There will be more tomorrow, so you'll have a nice chunk by the time hump day is done.

**Chapter 83**

**BPOV**

The week between Christmas and New Years was weird, with business dying down some and the energy in the store just not feeling right. I went to work and tried to get things done and keep my head down, but the day before New Year's Eve finally brought all of the tension to a head.

We had a lot of work in the office for the bookkeeping that had to get done. I was thankful that Eleazar had an accountant that took care of our taxes and such, but doing the end of year paperwork for the house accounts and the store analysis was a little daunting. Eleazar was out for the afternoon and the truck was being put away, so I was settled into his office when the screaming started.

The cameras were on a grid, so when I noticed the source of the sound I selected the monitor to watch the fight more closely. I couldn't make out exactly what was going on, but Amun and Alistair were hollering and gesturing wildly. I couldn't tell what I was seeing exactly, but it looked like Alistair spit at Amun, who shoved him, causing the others to rush in to break it up. I called Eleazar from my phone and he was rushing back to handle it.

By the time he returned my dad, Mark, and another officer were there taking statements and having Eleazar make a copy of the surveillance as evidence. Eleazar was forced to fire them both, but not without grumbling about what he was going to do as I continued my work in the office.

It was odd to think about the fact that both of them were now gone, but at the same time tension had been making work unbearable.

Eleazar was gone a lot longer than I expected him to be, but when he returned Jasper was with him.

"Bella, can I speak to you a minute about what happened today?"

"Sure, Eleazar," I said, waiting for him to continue.

"I've just been talking to Jasper, and it seems that we're caught in a rough spot now. We are down a manager and a floor person, but there is a solution that may work for everyone. Jasper has really stepped up recently, and now that he is a half owner with his father's passing, I'm going to make him the new store manager. He's already been doing portions of the job as the assistant manager, and it will be an easy transition for him, but that leaves his position vacant."

"Are you going to promote someone from the staff, or hire someone new?" I asked.

"I'd prefer to promote internally, and there are only two people I would consider. Liam has seniority, but has told me on many occasions that he isn't interested in management, which I can understand, but it also leaves me placing all of my hopes on your shoulders."

I blinked at him.

"I'm sorry, that almost sounded like you were offering me the assistant manager position." I laughed, but then looked up to see that neither of them looked like they were joking.

"Bella, you've been here a year, and in that time you've learned more about home repair to better help the customers, you were largely responsible for training Bree, you are always here and ready to work, and now you're doing a great deal of the bookkeeping that my daughters or I used to. Jasper and you work well together and I believe that it is the best solution. You already work the hours, so the only change will be how you spend your time here. Of course it will include another raise, and there are things you will have to learn, but that will be something we will teach you in the coming weeks. What do you say? Would you like to be the new assistant manager starting January 2nd?"

Sensing my discomfort, Jasper clasped his uncle on the shoulder. "Eleazar, do you mind if I talk to Bella for a few minutes?"


	84. Chapter 84

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 84**

**BPOV**

Eleazar left us alone as I stared at Jasper dumbly. "I can't be a manager."

"Why not? Eleazar is going to be teaching me the part of the bookkeeping that he does as the owner, but the rest of it fell on the girls, so you will continue to do it, meanwhile there are only a few things, like placing orders for customers and things like that for you to learn. The rest is running the staff. Emmett, Liam, Lizzie, and Bree won't have a problem with it, Kate is all for it, Lauren and Tyler won't give you shit, and if they do, we'll handle it, and new hires will never know a time when you weren't a manager. Bella, you can do this. Plus the raise will make things easier for you and Edward."

"Do you think Edward will freak out that I'm making more money? Because he's still the bread winner in the relationship at the moment and I don't want him to feel bad that his business isn't making as much right now."

"You should talk to him," Jasper told me. "Call him and see if he can have lunch with you and tell him about the job. You never know, having the financial security might take a weight off of him, knowing that there is money coming in if work gets slow in the winter or something."

"Okay, it's almost lunch time, I'm going to call him and see when he can meet me and then we can plan lunches around that."

"Sure," Jasper agreed. "We asked Tyler to stay, so we have to get him in there as well, but don't worry about that."

Calling Edward, I was happy when I didn't get his voicemail. "Hey, Bella."

"Hey, babe, do you have some free time this afternoon? I wanted you to meet me for lunch, it's kind of important."

"I actually can't today. John's on his way down for an inspection and we're chomping at the bit to move forward when he gets finished. But I'll be there when you get home and we can talk then, okay?"

"Sure, Edward, I'll see you tonight."

Hanging up the phone, I found Eleazar and told him I wanted to think about it and that I'd get back to him tomorrow. Appeased that I was giving it serious consideration, I went back to work the rest of the afternoon on the floor.


	85. Chapter 85

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 85**

**BPOV**

When I got home, Edward had one of the dinners I'd pre-made in the oven and he was waiting for me in the living room.

"Where's Bree?" he asked as I sat down beside him.

"She took a few bags out to the boat," I explained. "She's going to move in tomorrow and New Year's Day, but she wanted to stay aboard tonight."

"I'm going to miss having her around, but it will be nice to know that I can walk around naked without scaring her," Edward joked.

"Who are you walking around naked to impress?" I teased back as he pulled me into his lap. I could tell that this was going to lead to some of those naked times very quickly, so I tried to steer him back to the purpose of this discussion. "Edward, wait. Something happened today that I need to talk to you about."

"Is that why you wanted to have lunch with me? Because of something happened at the store. Bella, if you had told me that then I would have made time for you."

"It's okay, but we do have to discuss it now." I took a deep breath and prepared to lay everything out in front of him. "I know you've heard plenty from me about the tension caused by Amun and Alistair; well today they took it to a whole new level and got into a fight. Then they called the cops on each other, so Eleazar fired them both. But now he has this big problem. He can hire new floor people and cashiers, which he plans on doing, and he promoted Jasper to Manager, but his choice for Assistant Manager told him they have to think about it."

"Who would turn down that promotion?" Edward asked.

"Well, Liam has made it clear that he doesn't want the responsibility, and I told him I'd get back to him."

I watched as his face went through a near comedic flittering of emotions before I was in his arms, my body spinning through the air. "Baby, that's amazing! I knew that he thought highly of you, but to make you the assistant manager and have you working with Jasper to run the whole store…I'm so fucking proud of you."

"Really," I whispered as the tears started to fall.

"Of course I am." He put me down and met my eyes as he steadied me. "Wait, I was the reason you told him that you had to think about it?"

"I knew you'd be happy for me, but with your reluctance to let people help you and the need you have to support yourself, I was afraid that me making more money than you would…I don't know…" Tears began to fall for a completely different reason as Edward pulled me into his side.

"We are a team, Bella. And you earning more money is actually a good thing, because it means that I don't have to worry about supporting us with my salary. There are nights that I worry that I expanded the business at the wrong time because I have you to think of now. I don't ever want to fail you, Bella."

"You can't, Edward. I love you no matter what." I took a deep breath before wiping my face with a tissue and leaning up to kiss him. "Now we really have something to celebrate tomorrow."

"Yes we do, but there's no reason that we have to wait until tomorrow, is there?" Edward teased as he went to check on dinner.


	86. Chapter 86

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 86**

**BPOV**

New Year's Eve started with me going into work and telling Eleazar and Jasper that I was accepting the assistant manager position. Eleazar was very pleased, pulling me into the office to discuss my raise and the exact things my job would entail. It wasn't that much more than I was currently doing, with the exception of running the store on the floor and opening and closing regularly.

The five hour shift went by relatively quickly, so we locked up for the day and I drove home to get ready.

Edward wasn't around when I walked in, so I ran upstairs to get everything out of the master suite before he returned, sinking into the whirlpool tub in the second bathroom for a relaxing afternoon. I enjoyed my time in the tub before rinsing off and washing my hair.

With plenty of time before we were set to leave, I shaved and then got to work blow drying my hair so I could set it in curlers. Putting on my panties, I slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top so I could run down and get myself something to drink.

"Hey, Baby, I was just about to ask you if you wanted something to eat," Edward said as I came downstairs.

"I just wanted to grab an apple and some juice before I finish getting ready. We're still leaving at five?" I asked and he nodded. "Okay, I better get back to work."

For the next ninety minutes I sprayed and pinned my hair, leaving a majority of it down as the rest spilled down my back. My makeup was more than I normally wore, but it would play off my dress perfectly.

With my time running out, I slipped into my amethyst corset dress and black pumps, adding my jewelry before I double checked my wristlet and spritzed myself with some Givenchy Very Irresistible and exited the bathroom.

I walked down into the living room, only looking up when I heard Edward's gasp. "Damn, Bella, you look stunning."


	87. Chapter 87

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 87**

**BPOV**

I blushed as he helped me into my coat and led me out to his truck. I smiled when I saw our overnight bag resting in the back seat, because I was so happy that he had the forethought to get us a room for the night. The thought of trying to make the three hour drive back was not one I even wanted to consider without a good night's rest.

The drive to Seattle was enjoyable; Edward telling me about the work they'd gotten done on what would be Felix and Gianna's house while I'd been fighting the holiday madness. They were actually doing well and would hopefully be ready to sign the papers at the end of January.

I watched as the city lights came into view, and soon I was bouncing in my seat as Edward took my hand and led me into the lobby of the Mayflower Park Hotel as the valet went to park the truck. We were checked in quickly and we ran up to leave our bags in the room before returning downstairs to walk the short distance to Il Bistro, where Edward had made our reservation.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner of some of the most amazing food I'd ever eaten, before Edward paid the tab and took us to the highlight of the night.

Ballet Studio was one of my favorite hangouts in college, but it had actually grown up a little so while it still had the young crowd, it was able to compete with upscale places on nights like New Years.

As soon as we walked in, Edward took my coat as we headed back to the area where they had coat check. From there we weaved our way up to the bar where I ordered myself a Cosmopolitan.

Edward got a beer and we stood close to one another while we laughed and listened to the great music that was playing. When our first drinks were finished we moved to the dance floor where I had far too much fun dancing with my man.

I had to laugh when he reached between us to adjust himself before whispering that he was going to the restroom and he'd be right back. I stayed on the dance floor for a few minutes before moving back to the bar to avoid the handsy guys that were prowling for a one night stand.

I ordered another drink, taking a sip just as I saw Edward walk onto the dance floor and whisper in the ear of a beautiful woman.


	88. Chapter 88

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 88**

**EPOV**

The line was long, even for the men's room, so I wasn't surprised that I couldn't find Bella when I finally headed back into the main room. I was just about to go over to the bar when I saw a head of curly chestnut hair and approached her, leaning in to whisper to her. "Sorry that took so long, Baby. Do you want another drink?"

The woman spun around looking annoyed, and while she was beautiful, she wasn't my Bella. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I thought you were my girlfriend," I apologized just as Bella walked up. "There you are, Sweetheart."

"Is everything okay?" she asked looking between me and the slightly older woman I'd mistaken for her.

"Nope, it was an honest mistake." She smiled at Bella, complementing her dress before wishing us a Happy New Year.

"What do you say we get another drink?" I asked and Bella readily agreed.

The last hour before midnight was spent making out on the dance floor, my body cursing the fact that I'd brought her someplace in Seattle, because if we were in Forks, we'd be in bed already.

As the countdown started, Bella turned to face me as I leaned down to ghost my lips over hers. "Happy New Year, Bella."

"Happy New Year, Edward," she said as we kissed our way into the New Year.


	89. Chapter 89

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 89**

**EPOV**

There was very little in the way of after midnight activities for us as I got our coats and we walked briskly back to the hotel. Bella was tightly pulled into my side as I kept my eyes out for anyone out to start trouble, but thankfully we were back to the hotel a few minutes later.

The ride up to the eighth floor was torture, but as soon as the elevator doors opened we were on our way down to our room. I got the door open and we rushed in, my fingers instantly going for the zipper on her dress.

The fact that she didn't have a bra on under that dress drove me insane as she spun around and pushed off the dress, her heels landing with it as she pulled my shirt out of my pants. I didn't even bother to unbutton it as I yanked it over my head, her hands working on my belt and fly.

The last remnants of clothing were discarded as Bella and I stumbled towards the bed. I tried not to laugh as Bella tripped climbing onto the bed, but the sight of her on all fours in front of me turned my chuckle into a moan.

"You like me like this, Edward?" she asked as she turned back to look at me.

"Fuck yeah…Bella I want to take you just like that," I told her as I rolled on a condom and climbed up behind her.

Her moan was the only answer I needed as I reached between her legs to feel that she was indeed ready for me before I pushed into her, my body falling forward to curl around hers.

"Oh, God," she cried out as I pulled out and thrust back into her.

It wasn't gentle, but there was plenty of love and trust between us as I took her from behind, feeling every squeeze of her body around me until she exploded, pulling me with her. The pair of us collapsed on the bed for a few moments before we moved just enough to get under the blankets and fall asleep.

The following morning Bella and I checked out and grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant before making the trip back to Forks to begin our new year together.


	90. Chapter 90

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This next portion, especially the next few chapters require a tissue warning. Thanks for the support of this story.

**Chapter 90**

**BPOV**

I knew when I woke up this morning that today was going to be bad.

Ten days into the New Year and I was done. After a week and a half of training, it was my first day closing alone as the assistant manager. Jasper only worked until two, and I was freaking out about everything. Jasper had let me go through the process of locking up on Monday and Tuesday, so I was ready in that respect, but having to tell my co-workers, many of them having worked here longer than me, what to do was going to be tough. And to top it all off, my period started.

I got to the store before Jasper, unlocking the doors and getting the place ready. I took care of the security procedure in the office, the music was on, and I was bringing the drawer up front to open the store when Jasper walked in.

"Look at you, it's like you've been in charge since you started here," he joked as I glared at him.

"Hardly," I muttered as I got the register ready for opening and then took the second drawer into the lumber department to open that room. Jasper turned on the paint computer and the other equipment, letting the staff in right before we opened for business.

I took the first part of the morning and focused on the things I'd been doing for nearly a month now. I counted out the two drawers from yesterday and prepared the banking slips. I completed the paperwork for yesterday, marking all of the totals so that I could balance the books.

I had to make the deposit before I was able to look at the bills and schedule the payments we were making this week, but I had a little time before the bank opened, so I looked over the charge accounts and updated the list of payments that were still due. As it was January, I knew some of the smaller accounts would be pushing that deadline on payment, so I wanted to be aware of who still owed before I was sending out January's statements.

It was right around 9:30 when I had every last bit of work done that I could without going to the bank, so I headed out, telling Jasper that I would be back in a few. I drove to the bank, feeling the cramps get stronger. I tried to remember when my last period was, but with my slightly irregular period, it was hard to track at times. It seemed inevitable that the stress got heaped on and Aunt Flo had to make up for lost time with a bad first day.

There was a little bit of a wait at the bank, but when I finally got up to Mrs. Stanley's window, she smiled a little too brightly at me. "Hi, Bella, how are you doing? I have to tell you, Jess keeps going on about how great it is to have you back in town. From the sound of it, you two must really paint the town red."

I stared at her, trying to remember the last time I'd even seen Jessica Stanley, and failed. We'd met at school in Seattle and were shocked to both have family in Forks, but I can't remember seeing her more than a hello in the grocery store since September. "I haven't been going out much lately, Mrs. Stanley, but Jess and I do bump into each other from time to time."

"Well, maybe now that you're shacking up with that hot little contractor, you can help Jess land a man. Are any of Edward's friends single?" Mrs. Stanley asked, trying my patience all the more.

"No, we're all coupled up," I grumbled.

"Okay, you're all set. Here's your deposit slip," she told me before stopping me. "Bella, are you feeling all right? You look a little pale."

"Just tired," I responded as I waved goodbye and left.

The drive was even worse heading back, and by the time I walked in, Jasper seemed a little concerned. "Bella, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I just-" my words cut off as a sharp pain hit me. I wasn't aware that I'd been knocked down by it until Jasper grasped my arm, asking where it hurt.

There was a flurry of activity around me before Bree's face appeared in front of me. "Bella, you're bleeding a little through your jeans, and Jasper's freaking out. Is your period just bad this month, or should we call an ambulance?"

I finally registered the tears falling as I shook my head at her. "Something is wrong, this isn't normal."

"Jasper, call for the ambulance, I'll call Edward," Bree said before James ran over.

"I'll take her," he said, kneeling in front of me. "Can you walk?"

Another pain hit and I shook my head, feeling him lift me into his arms and call back that he'd be back for his stuff later. Kate called out that she would finish the paperwork, knowing that even with the fear gripping me, in the back of my head I was worried about what I was leaving unfinished.

James sat me in his truck, which I noticed had garbage bags covering the seats; I buckled up around the plastic, earning a chuckle as he backed up. "Covering the seats saves on car washes with all the dirt and crap I'm covered in by the end of the day. Hold on, Bella, you'll be there soon."

It was a three minute drive, and soon James was carrying me in the front door. The nurse from the night I came in with my broken arm was there, listening to James as he gave a description of what happened. I barely understood them through the pain, which was now starting again.

I registered Carlisle's voice next, and that had me panicking. "Bella, before we begin, all the information is the same as the last time right? You updated your address to Edward's place and there hasn't been a change to your insurance?"

"No, Carlisle, it's all the same."

"Okay, now there are two nurses who are going to help you take off your pants once you're in the exam room to give us some privacy, I'll be in there in a minute." Before he left, he stopped to whisper, "Bella, when was your last cycle?"

"I don't remember. I've been so busy and stressed, I know it's late, but I'm not regular to begin with so I wasn't worried because we always use protection."

I let the women lead me away and prepare me for my exam, terrified about what could be wrong with me. Carlisle was back promptly, wheeling in an ultrasound machine. I looked at him with a perplexed expression and he told me that he may need it and didn't want to have to leave the room again. After a basic exam, he turned on the machine and spread the gel on my stomach, moving the wand around he stopped and took a deep breath.

"Bella, I hate to have to tell you this, but the bleeding you're experiencing is the beginning of a miscarriage." Carlisle reached out to take my hand as he turned off the machine. "You didn't know you were pregnant?"

"No, I had no idea. Like I said, we use protection because I'm not on anything and I…how am I going to…" I tried to say it, but I couldn't get the words out. Carlisle, sensing my distress, sat on the side of my bed.

"Now you've already begun the contractions, those are the pains you're feeling. Even though the contractions seem to be about eight to ten minutes apart, you're going to be at this for a while. Normally, we only keep women here if they're soaking more than a pad an hour, or if the pain is unbearable. Most women prefer to have a natural miscarriage at home and then follow up with their OBGYN to make sure there isn't anything remaining that would require a D&C."

"So you're saying I should go home?" I asked.

"It will make an unbearable situation a little easier for it to happen in the privacy of your home. If you'd like, I can stop by after my shift to check on you? Now, does Edward know you're here, or should I call him?"

"Bree was calling him when I left, so if he isn't here, he should be soon," I explained.

"Okay, I'll have them process your discharge and print you out some literature. Also, I'll get one of the nurses to grab you a pair of scrubs and a pair of Depends. I'm sorry that I don't have anything-"

"Its fine, Carlisle, and thank you for taking care of me," I whispered as he left me to begin the process.

A nurse arrived with my change of clothing and then I waited for Carlisle to come back with the information and my discharge papers. It was a few minutes before Edward came barreling into the room.

"Baby, what's wrong? I got a call from Bree telling me that you were bleeding and in pain-" His questions were cut off by my sobs.

"Edward, I was…I'm…" Once again the words wouldn't come, so it was Carlisle who told him as he entered the room.

"Son, Bella's having a miscarriage."


	91. Chapter 91

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This is the last chapter for the day, mainly because I couldn't leave you after the last one. Things will get better for them, but this is a rough patch.

**Chapter 91**

**EPOV**

A what?

"Bella, did you know?" she shook her head and I immediately enveloped her in my arms. "How far along?"

It was my dad who answered my question. "My guess is about nine or ten weeks. She's already begun the process, and was rushed here because she didn't know what was happening. But we've discussed it and she's decided to go home and finish going through it there. I've told her the things to look out for and I have some things for you both to read in the coming days. Now, if you'll just sign here, we'll get you released so you can go home and try to rest."

Bella nodded and signed the paperwork, climbing down to sit in the wheelchair so we could escort her to my car. My mind was swimming, but I couldn't worry about my own thoughts or emotions at the moment, because I knew this had to be killing her.

Once she was settled into the passenger's seat, I ran around to get in and begin the drive home. Another pain hit her just as I pulled out of the parking lot, but she told me to keep driving. It was fifteen minutes before we were home, and when we got there I scooped her into my arms and carried her to bed.

"Get a couple of old towels for me to lie on, I'd hate to ruin the sheets," Bella whispered lifelessly as I went to do as she asked.

Once she was curled up and as comfortable as she could be, I got her some Advil and slipped in beside her.

The first hour was the worst. The pains came faster, but with little results. The way she cried, the tone and the tenor of it tore my heart out, but I couldn't speak because I was terrified of making it harder on her.

Just after noon, Bella got up and ran for the bathroom. At first, I thought she was going to get sick, but then I went to check on her and found her head resting in her hands as she sat on the toilet.

I got her one of the towels to wear like a lap blanket and sat beside her, holding her hand through every contraction. She told me that it was like a mini-birth, and that this was likely the worst part of it. She felt a little faint near the end of that hour, but there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

That was when she started crying again. Unlike the cries from her pain, this was her beginning to process the loss we were experiencing, and I was wrong, this was far worse.

Bella apologized for losing our baby, blaming herself for not knowing she was pregnant and letting the stress eat away at her. I tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but she kept shaking her head, not letting my words sink in.

Her bleeding seemed to slow again, so I got her a pair of underwear and a pad from under the counter and after the scrubs from the hospital were back on I carried her to bed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked when she settled into my chest.

"The pains are less, which seems to be about right, and now it's getting to the point where it's like a heavy period, but emotionally…"

I took the opportunity her pause created to tell her what I felt, hoping it would help.

"Bella, when I got the call this morning, I was so fucking scared. I got to the hospital and found out what you were going through and the emotions were so intense. I was so thankful that you would eventually be all right, once we recover from the loss. But the idea that we'd lost something so precious is devastating. There will come a time in the future when we will be blessed in that way, and when it comes we'll be better prepared. But please, my love, don't take on the burden of blaming yourself. Do you blame me for the condom breaking? Or for not noticing that something was off with you?"

"No, how could I blame you for those things, they weren't within your control," she reassured me quickly.

"And this isn't either of our faults, Bella. It's sad to realize, but these things happen, and it isn't your fault. I know you won't believe that today, but I will be here every day to remind you how much I love you, and how proud I will be to one day see you carrying my child."

I felt her lips brush against my chest before she finally drifted off into her exhaustion. Content that I had laid the groundwork for relieving her guilt, I let myself fall asleep with her.


	92. Chapter 92

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you for the support of the last few chapters, it was something that was hard for me to write, but it was important for me to tell it. And for those of you who were angry at Edward for his NYE mistaken identity...he did approach a Bella, just not his Bella. It was a little nod to my story _Dance with Me _and its sequel _The Family You Make_, as the bar they visited is owned by the Bella from that story.

On to today's chapters, with a loving shoutout to Debslmac for being review 225 on twcs, and RobandKrisChick for being review 400 on ffn. Love to mizzdee for polishing my words.

**Chapter 92**

**BPOV**

I heard Carlisle's voice outside the room asking how I was doing. It was three days since the miscarriage, and besides the doctor's appointment to confirm that I didn't need to have a procedure to clear away anything that hadn't passed naturally; I hadn't left the bedroom unless I was going to the bathroom.

Edward had called Eleazar and told him that I was taking a week of paid leave. I had twenty-two days, so losing five of those wasn't too bad, especially considering the fact that I couldn't even will myself to move.

I was making it through the day thanks to Edward's constant support. I swear that my man was an angel.

The voices got louder and for the first time I recognized Esme's voice. "Bella, do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all," I said, feeling the bed dip at my side.

"Edward has to go to work for a few hours, so I told him that I would stay with you until he could come back," Esme informed me.

"You guys don't have to babysit me, you know. I appreciate that you all care enough to check on me as often as you do, but I'll survive."

"I know you will, dear. If I did, so can you," she whispered, causing me to sit up.

"Oh Esme, I'm so sorry," I told her, the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. It was a long time ago, before I had Edward. But just know that it doesn't mean you two won't have children someday. Your body made a decision that your heart has to come to terms with, which will take a little time. Just think about what it will be like when you and Edward try for a baby someday. You'll be prepared and your lives will have evened out by then. I know that it's hard, but just take the next few days with Edward to discuss your future and work on feeling better, because he's worried about you. He wants to make this better for you, but it isn't that simple."

"No," I agreed, "but I can try a little harder. Thank you, Esme. I'm going to get in the shower and then go down and work on something for dinner."

"That's my sweet girl," she crooned. "And do me a favor and call Charlie; he wants to know that you're doing better."

That made me feel horrible. I'd called Charlie to tell him what happened, but I haven't spoken to anyone since that. I needed to snap out of this and let everyone know that I was coping.

Moving off the bed, I got into the shower and then changed for the day, knowing there was a mountain of laundry to do. I started a load and then grabbed a pad, because I needed to go grocery shopping as well. Esme offered to come with me, but I really just wanted to be alone for a while. Promising to call her if I needed anything, I drove to the store and began walking the aisles.

I felt a few stares fall my way, but I ignored it as I made my way through the list I'd made and took my very full cart to the checkout. The kid behind the register worked quickly to bag my items and after I paid, I pushed the cart to my truck. I filled the crates that I used when I went shopping so that the bags didn't spill all over the bed of the truck and drove home.

From there I went about putting away my groceries and doing a bit of prep for dinner. I had the slow cooker on the counter so I started cutting the meat as I called Charlie.

"Forks Police Department," my dad answered and I sighed, having missed him the past few days.

"Hi, Dad."

"Bells, how are you doing?"

"Better, I had a nice talk with Esme today and then I did some shopping. Now it's onto laundry and dinner." I knew that hearing my daily routine would be the best way to help him see that I was really getting better. "I'm sorry I didn't call you to let you know what was going on more, Dad."

"Bella, I was only worried about you, but you seem to be doing better. How is Edward handling all of this?"

"He's taking care of me, but he hasn't said much about what he's feeling because I think he's afraid of unloading on me too soon, but we'll work through it."

Charlie huffed out a breath on his end. "Good to hear. Okay, well, I'll let you get back to your chores and I'll talk to you soon."

"Sure thing, Dad." We hung up and I went back to my stew with a smile. Charlie thought I was okay, that was the first step.


	93. Chapter 93

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 93**

**BPOV**

I kept going up and down the stairs with the laundry, the slow cooker filling the house with the smell of stew as I checked things off my list. After my call to Charlie, I asked Bree if she wanted to come over tomorrow and she jumped at the chance. Jasper was happy to hear from me and I promised to be back to work on Friday.

Edward was home a little after four and seemed surprised to see me still working in the kitchen.

"Baby, you look good. Are you starting to feel a little better?"

"I am, but I would really like to hear more about how you're coping," I told him.

"You don't have to worry about me, Bella-"

"If I don't worry about you, no one else will, Edward. They're focusing on me and you lost just as much as I did."

Taking a deep breath, Edward moved to my side. "I didn't know about the baby until it was gone, so it's odd. If I had known about it sooner I know I would have been more upset, but honestly I know it will happen when we're ready. I just worry about how you're handling this."

"I'm dealing. It's hard to think about him-"

"Him?" Edward asked.

"When I picture the baby, I always see a little boy. I don't know what the sex of the baby was for real," I explained.

Edward nodded and then went upstairs to shower, giving me a chance to regroup before he came down for dinner. This would be harder than I thought.


	94. Chapter 94

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 94**

**EPOV**

Bella may have thought she was fooling everyone, but I knew her better than that. She was suffering.

In the weeks following her miscarriage, she returned to work, we hung out with our friends and she made sure I put in a full day at the house on Spartan. The day we officially finished work on it and started the sale paperwork was the happiest professional day I'd had, but coming home to see Bella watching a movie in a daze brought me back down to earth. I was a man that fixed what was broken on a daily basis, but I couldn't fix her.

Valentine's Day was coming up and I had a ring hidden in my office that I desperately wanted to give her, but I was afraid of her reaction to it. I was happy that my mom was handling the sale of the house, because she had started the paperwork before we'd completed it, so now we had the property off our hands and we both had a nice boost to our books. If we managed to do this a few times a year in between our regular work, we'd have a great business on our hands.

I came home to another meal cooking itself in the kitchen and no sign of Bella. I checked downstairs and then moved up to the second floor, still finding nothing. The attic was the last place, but it was where she was hiding, obviously not expecting me to be home yet.

She was lying on the rug crying, one of the pillows from the window seat tucked into her stomach.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

She turned to see me, bursting into tears even more. "I'm so sorry I killed him."

"What? Bella what are you talking about?" I took the pillow from her and pulled her up into my lap.

"Our baby. I drank, and fought with my co-workers and customers…I made my body such an uninviting place it's no wonder I lost him. You have a room dedicated for them up here and I can't even take care of him for a few weeks. I'm a horrible person and I don't deserve anyone's pity or compassion," she sobbed.

"Don't talk like that," I begged her. "You didn't know you were pregnant so having a few drinks a couple of times isn't your fault. And as far as your job, it's been stressing you out, but you seem to be doing better now. The new employees are working out well and no one is questioning you, like you'd worried they would, right? "

She nodded, so I continued. "Then we won't have to worry about that when the time comes for us to try again…when you're ready. And this room is for our children, and it will be filled with laughter one day. Bella, this is the guilt I tried to rid you of, but it seems I didn't do that good of a job, so how about I show you that I don't hold what happened against you. I love you and I want this, you and I together forever."

"You don't hate me?" she asked.

"Hate you? Never. In fact, I've got something that I'd like to give you to show you just how much you mean to me. Wait right here."

I'd made the decision so quickly to do this tonight, but it felt so right. I'd wanted to do this next week, but now it was about confirming that this was only a bump in the road for us. I unlocked the desk drawer and picked up the small velvet box, running back up the two flights of stairs to where Bella was sitting on the floor waiting for me.

"I had planned to do this on Valentine's Day, but after what happened I thought about waiting until you had recovered. But now I think this is exactly the right time." Taking a deep breath, I began. "Bella, I always felt like I was going for something out of reach with you, but you've always managed to make me feel like I was what you needed. We're so much better together than we are apart, and I want to spend the rest of my life thanking you for taking a chance on me. Will you marry me?"


	95. Chapter 95

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 95**

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe he just proposed. Was I dreaming? I just told him that I was a horrible person, aired every shred of self-loathing I'd held inside since the day I was carried into the hospital and he asked me to marry him.

"Sweetheart?" he asked and I realized I hadn't answered him.

"Yes?" Then it dawned on me that he was still waiting for an answer. "Oh, shit. Yes, Edward, I'll marry you."

"You had me scared for a minute that you were going to say no, but, Bella, I promise that you'll never regret it."

"How could I regret loving you?" I asked him as he slid the beautiful ring onto my finger. "Oh my, God, we have to call my dad, and your parents, and-"

"Do you think we can hold off on calling everyone until we take a little time to celebrate?" His eyes were hopeful, and I knew exactly what kind of celebrating he meant.

"I think that can be arranged," I whispered, feeling the love I had for him fill every void that had been created with our loss. We were really going to be okay, together. "Make love to me, Edward."

"Anything for you, my love," he moaned as his lips descended onto mine.

His hands reached behind him to pull away his shirt, revealing his chest to me. My fingers traced his torso as he worked the fabric of my shirt up, pushing it up so that I could remove it while he took off his jeans and boxers. I took off my pants and underwear in just enough time for Edward to roll on the condom he had in his wallet.

I watched him as he sank down onto the plush carpet and covered my body with his.

"I love you," he whispered.

Edward entered me and I couldn't hold in the moan that came out of me, I'd missed him like this in the last month. It had only been a few days since I was okay to resume sex, but this was the first time either one of us brought it up.

He moved slowly, his lips and hands tracing every inch of skin they could reach while I drew lines on the solid muscles of his back. I rose to meet every downward stroke, feeling him fill me time after time until I came apart in his arms, his name on my lips. He followed me a few minutes later, holding me close before he slowly slipped out of me and offered me a hand standing up.

"What do you say we get cleaned up and then make those phone calls?"


	96. Chapter 96

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Last chapter until this weekend, but I'm now back on my normal schedule. Enjoy the week.

**Chapter 96**

**BPOV**

A kind of insanity broke out when we told everyone we were getting married. All of my girlfriends descended, along with Esme, to talk about the plans. The wedding I'd been just starting to plan was already turning into the social event of the year and I was starting to get a little nauseous just thinking about their ideas. Ideas I knew would cost a lot of money.

"Edward and I really just want a simple wedding, nothing too overproduced," I said, bringing the chatter to a grinding halt.

"Bella, if this is about the cost, Carlisle and I have been waiting Edward's entire life to do this for him, so it isn't a bother for us to take on whatever needs to be paid for," Esme offered, but I was shaking my head.

"It isn't about the money. I don't want to be surrounded by the entire town, and if this isn't intimate, then it will become something overgrown. I told my dad to make a list of who he'd want to come and we'll see where to go from there. So you and Carlisle do the same thing. Make the list of people you would want to invite, and then we'll look at it and tell you how much of that list may need to be cut. I want a backyard wedding, not the beginning of the _Sex and the City _movie."

"Fair enough," Esme said. "I'll leave you with these magazines and we can talk in a few days."

The girls hung around a little while longer, so I decided that I might as well break the bridesmaid news now. "I love the five of you like you were my sisters, and I want you to be there for all the insanity of the showers and bachelorette party, but Edward and I said we were only going to have two bridesmaids and groomsmen. And I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so I'm picking Bree and Alice because I'm closest to them. But that doesn't mean that I don't want your opinions on things like my dress or wedding favors."

Kate waved me off. "I'm actually relieved. I'm going to be insane with this being my last semester, and Alice just finished so she'll have more free time to help you with those things."

Vicky and Rosalie both assured me that they didn't mind and soon everyone but Alice left for the afternoon.

"Bella, would you mind if I designed the bridesmaid dresses? I'm going to be working on my clothing line, but it'll take a while to have all of the business stuff ironed out with my dad and having the creative outlet will be fun."

I smiled at her enthusiasm, and as long as she and Bree were in agreement, I didn't have a problem with her making their dresses. "Sure, Alice, I'd like that. But I really want to iron out some details with Edward before I even think about agreeing to anything else."

"That's fair," Alice said. "I really should get going anyway. My dad wants me to fly out to New York next week to meet with some people that are going to help me start my business. I may even end up taking a side trip down south to see a factory or two. But when I get back we have to make a trip to Black Diamond Bridal."

"I promise," I said as I walked her to the door, glad to finally have a little peace and quiet.


	97. Chapter 97

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 97**

**BPOV**

Time continued to fly by. Alice had really impressed whoever she met with on her trip, so she was moving ahead with her designs for the Fall launch of her site. The idea that she had to be more than six months out because she had to see how the factory would manufacture her items and any other of one hundred things that could possibly slow her down.

Edward and I had discussed what we wanted as far as the ceremony, and we were comfortable with getting married in his parents' backyard on August 13th. Our goal of a small guest list seemed to be our biggest hurdle.

My dad had been pretty reasonable, and a bunch of the people he'd wanted to invite were already on the list because of our connection to the reservation, so when we melded our lists we were at a good number, but Esme and Carlisle seemed intent on inviting the whole town.

I let Edward fight that battle, which he thankfully won. Though I couldn't avoid Jessica Stanley's name making it onto the list, much to my annoyance.

"Why does she bother you so much?" Edward asked when he heard me grumbling.

"She acts like we're best friends when we barely speak. In college, I met her and Angela Weber, both of whom are from Forks. Angela and Jess went to school together and Jess drove Angela batty. Unfortunately, Angela moved to New York after she graduated and now she the buyer for a boutique in Soho and I got stuck with Jess. If you listened to her talk, we're besties, but when have you ever seen her?"

"I haven't, in fact the last time I remember seeing her was when I graduated from high school. She was still a sophomore."

"Makes sense, since she's a year older than I am," I remarked.

"Don't worry about her, she won't cause any trouble and her mom and my mom work together a lot at the bank, so she's kind of a higher tier person for my mom as far as her guest list."

"I'm not, but I'm actually excited to see her reaction to Angela coming out for the wedding," I confided. "She texted me to tell me that she would move heaven and earth to be here, and I'm hatching an evil plan to introduce her to Alice."

"Just warn me before you introduce them so I can put in a pair of earplugs, because Alice's scream will shatter glass."


	98. Chapter 98

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 98**

**BPOV**

March was gone, and after a few tries to find a dress, Alice dragged Bree and I to Seattle. Charlie had offered to buy my dress when Esme and Carlisle stepped up for the ceremony since it was on their property, so I knew what my budget was as I looked for something perfect.

I needed something that would be light as it was a summer wedding, and it had to be able to move easily as I walked in the grass. I was cringing at the idea of grass stains, but Alice promised that if anything happened the cleaners would get it out when they preserved the dress.

As we entered our appointment, I told the sales girl what I was looking for. A simple lace dress with enough detail to be bridal, but not so much that it was too much. With a smirk, she pulled a few dresses and led me into the dressing room.

I knew as soon as I saw it on that the first dress wasn't for me. It was pretty, but it was floor length, and I wanted a little bit of a train. Nodding, she helped me into the second dress and this time I felt like I was on the right track.

"This is really close, but I almost wish that I could wear it backwards. I'm not comfortable showing that much cleavage, but if the back was open like that-"

"I have just the thing," the manager said as she went to get the dress.

The hanger passed through the crack in the door as the sales girl put me into the third dress, leading me to the mirror.

They say when you find the dress, you know it immediately, and this was definitely one of those moments, because the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I registered a gasp behind me.

The lace was exactly what I wanted, with almost a boat neckline and an exposed back, a train that was manageable but still bridal and not a need for a single embellishment. I wouldn't need a veil or much jewelry, the dress stood alone.

"It's perfect," I whispered.


	99. Chapter 99

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 99**

**EPOV**

Bella and the girls were working hard on the wedding plans with my mom, and once the guest list had been cut down to a number we were comfortable with, there were few issues. It was already April and between the store and the wedding, Bella was exhausted. I kept checking with her to make sure that she was all right, but she promised that it was just the amount of activity and not anymore drama at the store. The new employees all seemed to love Bella, and they accepted her as the assistant manager. After the initial period of adjustment, she was excelling at her job and Eleazar was impressed.

My main task at the moment was planning our honeymoon, something my father was trying to help me with. Bella and I had decided on Hawaii, so I found us a nice package. It was expensive, but how often would we get to spend ten days in Hawaii?

Bella even found a website that allowed you to make a honeymoon registry that showed people different excursions we could do or dinners we could eat, and they 'bought' them for us. All the money that was put into an account set up for us with the company and when we got to Hawaii we could book the various activities we wanted and it would draw the money from our account without holding us down to the specific things people purchased for us. The flexibility was nice, plus it would help pay for a few things on our trip since we were mostly settled in our house.

Bella picked out sheets and towels, fine china and some other cookware for a more traditional registry, but we weren't going to have people buy us the furniture for the two spare bedrooms, or for the seating area in the attic, so it was a good idea.

On the professional side, we just signed the paperwork on our second flip and two of the grants Bella had helped me apply for last fall had finally come through so we had a bit of extra capital at the moment. My guys were motivated, and we had everything planned for the flip to be done by mid to late July, so that it would be done by the time of the wedding. The interim had been filled with side jobs, including replacing the hot water heater and furnace at Charlie's, so his list was getting slowly checked off too.

The struggles of last year seemed to be giving way to a better year ahead, and as we prepared for a long weekend in Florida to see Bella's mom, I was happy to finally meet the rest of Bella's family.


	100. Chapter 100

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 100**

**BPOV**

When most of the wedding stuff was set, Eleazar and Jasper pulled me into the office to discuss vacations. I get three weeks paid time off, whether I use them as vacation, sick days, or whatever else I could call them was up to me. I had already taken five days after my miscarriage, but thankfully, Jasper switched with me when Edward convinced me to take the trip to Florida, so I'd be working more days the week leading up to that weekend, but I wasn't using any more vacation time. Our honeymoon was ten days, so I managed to save six more days in case I needed them.

Once all of those scheduling issues were cleared up, Eleazar asked Jasper how handling his father's estate was going.

"I'm actually in the process of selling the shipping company, and I'm getting rid of my side of the duplex and moving into my parents' home. Once those sales are complete everything will be done," Jasper explained with a smirk. "Why do you ask, Eleazar? Are you that eager to sell?"

"I would like to start discussing it with you. Carmen and I have been working most of our lives and we've amassed a nice little fortune between inheritance, investing, and our work. We'd both like to spend some of it while we're still young enough to enjoy it."

I sat there, trying to think about Forks Hardware without Eleazar and failed. He seemed so much a part of the idea of the store that it was hard to imagine a time when he wouldn't be there.

The conversation had already drifted to other topics, so I just excused myself to get back to work.

Edward was hard at work on his newest project, so our time together was scarce, but it just made me look forward to our vacations all the more, even if I was going to see my mom.

She'd been surprised when I called to ask when I could come visit, and even more so when I explained that I was bringing someone with me, but she told me the first weekend of May was fine for her and Phil, so we planned it for then.

I worked myself to the bone the week leading up to the trip, but as Charlie dropped us off at the airport using my truck, I found myself wanting to leap from the car. Renee had always been weird with how she acted towards me; she managed to be both juvenile and condescending at the same time. Edward had insisted that he wanted to meet my mom before the wedding, but I wasn't really sure how well this would go over.

We boarded our flight, and I was thankful that we didn't have to rush for a connecting flight; we just stayed on the plane while they let the old passengers exit and new ones board. But that hour did give me time to fidget beside Edward as he tried to calm me.

"Baby, what has you so worked up?"

I looked at him with a worried expression. "My mom and I don't have the best relationship, so I'm just worried about how this weekend will go."

"No matter what happens, it's you and me, Bella," he whispered in reassurance as he pulled my hand to his lips so he could gently kiss my ring.

The second half of the flight went faster than I would have liked, and soon Edward and I were finding our luggage and picking up the rental car. It was a twenty-five minute drive to the heart of Jacksonville where my mom and Phil lived, and when we pulled up, there was only one car in the driveway. Edward and I exited the car to see the door open and Phil smile as he gestured for us to come in.

"Welcome home, Bella," Phil said as we entered, giving me a quick hug before holding out his hand for Edward. "I'm Phil Dwyer, Bella's step-father."

"Edward Cullen, her fiancé," Edward told him, earning a chuckle.

"Oh Bella, you couldn't make this trip easy on me, could you," Phil said limping towards the couch as he invited us to join him.


	101. Chapter 101

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**You will hate Renee. That is the appropriate response to the shit she pulls here. Some people just aren't meant to have redeeming qualities, no matter how hard you look for them.**

**EPOV**

Phil's comment had me a little confused, but Bella cut in before I could question it. "Phil, you know full well if my mother had known before we came here then she would have told me to save the money for the plane fare. The truth is I wanted you both to meet Edward before the wedding, and I wanted to see you again. My mommy issues aside, you've always been good to me, Phil."

"Well, she should be home with dinner any minute, so why don't we get you two settled in the guest room," Phil offered, leading us to a small room just off the kitchen.

We took a few minutes to begin unpacking when the sound of the door slamming caught our attention. Bella whispered, "I apologize in advance for anything that may come out or my mother's mouth."

The bedroom door flew open and a woman who looked a great deal like Bella came bounding into the room. "Bella, it has been far too long! And who is this handsome young man?"

"This is Edward Cullen, mom, he's my-" Bella began, only to be interrupted by Renee.

"It's so nice to meet Bella's new man. So how long have you been together?" Renee questioned, but Phil saved us from the inquisition.

"Renee, why don't we have this conversation over dinner? I'm sure they're hungry after travelling all day."

Dinner was awkward; Renee seemed far too willing to offer up less than flattering tales of Bella's adolescence and biting remarks about her recent choices, including the ones that revolved around our relationship. Somehow we survived and returned to our room, feigning jetlag to escape Renee's tongue.

The next day was pleasant, mainly because Renee was working a double shift at the restaurant she waitressed at, so Bella and I explored the city a bit, enjoying a few trips down memory lane before returning to her mom's for dinner.

Phil and I managed to get a few minutes alone Friday night under the guise of watching the Marlin's game.

"My wife is the kind of woman who had a very set idea in her head how her life should go. Bella wasn't a planned pregnancy, but she married Charlie in the hopes of being a happy housewife and living a small town dream. But it wasn't enough for her so she moved away with Bella and the pair of them hopped around a bit, mainly following men that Renee thought would give her the life she wanted, until she met me. I was a young AA ball player at the time, and I was on the cusp of being called up to AAA and eventually the Majors, so she saw the dollar signs and agreed when I proposed.

"Now I love Renee and Bella, but she doesn't take responsibility for any of her own actions. Bella raised herself and her mother until I came around, and for as long as I was playing ball, I was the successful breadwinner she always wanted. Then I was in my car accident almost two years ago and the career ended earlier than any of us wanted. Bella was distraught over what I lost, but all Renee saw was another failure.

"I don't have any illusions about what my life is," Phil told me honestly, "but I want better for Bella, and I can see that you're good to her. Just don't let anything my wife says change what you two have. And make sure Bella doesn't take her too seriously either."

"Thanks, Phil. I'm glad that you're on our side."

"Bella turned my twenty-seven year old ass into the father of a teenager almost overnight. But she taught me a lot about the type of man I wanted to be, and the kind of father I could be. But I don't know if that's in the cards for me anymore." Phil refocused on the game and my heart went out to the guy. He thought he was marrying the dream, but when he got was closer to a nightmare.


	102. Chapter 102

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 102**

**BPOV**

My mother wore on my last nerve. Though I spoke to Phil regularly, I hadn't known that their relationship had faltered that much since his accident. I was in my last semester of school when it happened and I'd flown back over spring break to see how he was doing. It had been a bad accident, but he'd managed to recover to nearly 100%, his limp only noticeable when he'd been standing or moving too long, or when he first woke up in the morning.

I was happy to see Phil and Edward talking last night, but what I really wanted was to escape the talk my mother and I were having now. The guys were out getting ice cream at my mom's request, so I was stuck having a long chat with my mom.

"Bella, now believe me, I understand falling for a hot guy who works up a sweat on a daily basis, but what about your future? You say that Edward is expanding his business, but Forks is a very limited market?"

"He works outside of Forks, Mom, and with his mother's real estate connections, they are doing very well," I defended Edward's business, unwilling to let her talk him down.

"Yes, well, you're still the biggest income in that household. And moving in with him so quickly, I really have to give Charlie hell for allowing that to happen. Forks was supposed to be a phase so you could grow up more and then find someone, not settle down entirely too young. What are you going to do if you wind up pregnant too soon?"

"Mom, Edward and I want kids. In fact, if I hadn't lost the baby -" I'd started, but she silenced me with her gasp.

"You had a miscarriage? Oh, my god, Bella don't you see what I'm talking about? This is all moving far too fast. You should be happy that you were spared the trouble of an unplanned pregnancy." My mother's words were like a slap to the face, but the shouting behind me faded as I tried to regain control of my emotions.

"Bella," Phil whispered to me, alerting me to the fact that it was Edward shouting at my mom. "Go in your room and pack your bags. I'll get you a hotel room for the night."

"Phil, you don't have to-"

"I'm happy that you came to visit, kiddo, but I'm not letting her do anymore damage to your ego. We'll talk soon?"

"Okay," I said, going into the guest room to pack. The shouting hadn't gotten any better, but now that I was paying attention to their words I wanted to kill my mother. That she was happy about my loss, even with her twisted reasoning, was unfathomable. Not to mention that she intimated that I was a trouble to her.

"Bella, you have a reservation at the Aloft hotel right by the airport," Phil said, taking the bags after I'd checked that we weren't forgetting anything.

"Where's Edward?" I asked.

"Waiting in the car, otherwise your mother would still be spouting her poison. Have a safe trip, Bella."

"Bye, Phil. Thank you for everything," I said as I hugged my step-dad.

"No problem," he replied as we walked outside. With our bags in the truck, I gave Edward the name of our hotel, using the GPS on my phone to get us there.

"Bella, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Edward finally said when we were lying in bed an hour later.

"Me? I'm used to my mother, but what about you? I hope you don't mind that since she already told me that she would rather die than come to our wedding, that I'm just going to email the info to Phil so he can come alone."

Edward nuzzled into my neck as he responded. "Not at all, though you could probably send him an invitation, because he's filing for divorce, so I doubt they'll still be living together."

"What?" I asked.

"He'd alluded to it last night, but just before we got home he told me that he'd made the decision to go ahead with it," Edward explained.

"Good, Phil deserves to be happy, and even with him being a ballplayer, he only earned about what I do as assistant manager at the store, so Renee won't be making off with the fortune she'd hoped for," I remarked, happy to be putting Florida behind us in the morning.


	103. Chapter 103

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 103**

**BPOV**

After our return from Florida, Edward was hard at work on his new flip and I was back at the store full time. Time seemed to fly by, with April and May running together into June. I was trying to come up with a present to give him on top of a little satin and lace number that he'd get to peel off me that night.

His flat out refusal to give me any ideas had me turning to Jasper for help one afternoon.

"Okay, do you want to really mind-fuck him, or just get him a nice gift?" Jasper's question piqued my interest.

"I have a feeling there's a story to tell, so spill," I told him and he laughed.

"Back in junior high and high school, Emmett, Edward and I were in a band. Edward played guitar while I was on bass and Em played the drums. It was kind of pathetic at first, but we ended up getting pretty good. I don't know what happened to his guitar, but I know he would never go out and buy one for himself."

"What type should I get him?" I asked, excited by my fiancé's hidden talent.

"I'll go check out a few guitars to find one for you to get him. We can't get him a Gibson, because he'll kill me for letting you spend that kind of money on something he hasn't done in eight years, but we should be able to find him a nice instrument."

That weekend, with Jasper's express instructions, I got him an Epiphone Dove from Guitar Center. I hid it in the closet of one of the empty spare bedrooms, waiting for his birthday.

I switched days with Jasper, so that I only worked a half day on Edward's birthday, excited to make him his new favorite dish, my taco meatloaf, and then allow him to open both of his gifts.

Edward got home from the jobsite and ran upstairs to shower, giving me a chance to slip the guitar under the table while he was away. When he returned to see his dinner waiting for him, he kissed me sweetly before we sat down together to enjoy our meal.

"I still remember our first date when you made this for me. You were so nervous that I wouldn't like it, but it was amazing and completely unexpected, just like you."

I blushed at his compliment, shaking my head at his sweetness. "No need to flatter, you already got me."

"That's all the more reason to flatter you, because I'll do anything to keep you," he teased.

We finished dinner and I pulled out Edward's gift just in time for him to freeze at the sight of it. "Happy Birthday, Edward."

"How did you know?" he asked before he lifted the lid on the guitar. "Baby, this is perfect, thank you."

His kisses were more insistent now that he'd seen what I'd managed to surprise him with, but his night wasn't done yet. "Why don't we head upstairs? I'm going to jump into the shower quick and then we can watch a movie or something."

"Sure, love, that sounds great," he murmured, playing right into my plan.

With Edward trying to find a movie that we would never watch, I turned on the shower and washed up quick, keeping my hair dry since I'd washed it that morning. After that, I changed into the electric blue corset that Emily and I found while shopping online for my honeymoon and attached the black stockings to the garters, finishing it off with a pair of black heels. My hair was teased and a minute later I was walking into our bedroom to find Edward sprawled out with Netflix open on our TV.

"Hey, Baby, I wasn't sure what you wanted to…fuck." I giggled at his sudden loss of words as he watched me.

I walked over to the side of the bed and reached out for his hand. "Happy Birthday, Edward."

"Christ, it's really happy now," he groaned as he palmed himself through his boxers.

Edward pulled me to stand between his legs and his fingers traced the ruffled lace at my hips. Our lips met as he continued to explore my body until he realized I wasn't wearing any underwear.

"Surprise," I whispered and handed him a condom, letting him know exactly what I wanted.

Edward stood up and dropped his boxers, sliding on the condom before he playfully pushed me back on the bed. I scooted onto the center of the bed while he crawled over me, his left hand reaching down to free my right nipple from behind the cup of the corset as Edward pressed our lower bodies together. His attentions to my chest left me craving more so as I rocked up into him, his mind refocused.

"Wrap your legs around my waist, I want to feel those heels pressing into my ass as I fuck you." His voice was husky as he moved to find my entrance and pushed inside.

This wasn't the gentle lovemaking that I had grown to love from him, but I enjoyed it all the more when we could let go together and just be. Soft fabric brushed hard muscles as sweat began to form on our overheated skin. We chased after our climaxes as one and as I felt the tightening of my muscles, a sure sign that I wouldn't last longer, I pushed up even harder to meet Edward's hurried pace.

My eyes squeezed shut as the pleasure crashed over me, pulling Edward deeper inside me and causing his own orgasm to hit. Edward's weight rested on top of me for a few moments before he regained his breath and helped me up. I changed into something comfortable for bed while Edward went to clean up and soon we were once again wrapped in each other.

"Thank you for an amazing birthday, Bella. Twenty-seven is going to be an excellent year."


	104. Chapter 104

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Huge thanks as always to my beta, mizzdee. And to reviewer #250 on twcs - debslmac, and #450 on ffn - banshee69. Thank you to all of my reviews, so many of you take the time to review every chapter, or at least once a block and they all make me smile. Having my phone blow up on my day off with your lovely words is the fuel I need to continue writing whatever I'm working on that day!

**Chapter 104**

**BPOV**

The three weeks between Edward's birthday and the bridal shower were gone in a blink of an eye. I was shocked to find out that Eleazar was closing the store on my wedding day so that everyone could come without there being the worry of who would cover the store.

The Denali's invited Edward and I over for a barbeque on my day off and I walked out onto their deck to see all my girlfriends as well as Esme's friends and a few of the women from La Push who knew dad. Edward gave me a quick kiss before fleeing, knowing that he was in a little bit of trouble when I got home.

Esme and Carmen led me over to the Adirondack chair that had been decorated with ribbon and the festivities began. I was happy that while not the event I'd anticipated, it was still a barbeque, so we started with the salad while Alice and Bree worked to get the games ready. In between the food we played a bridal version of Scategories, Purse Raid, and Bridal Pictionary. But right before opening the presents, Alice pulled out her laptop and started playing the theme to the Newlywed Game as she opened a video file that had a paused image of Edward sitting on our couch.

"Okay, Bella. We asked Edward a series of questions. Five we asked him for his answer, and four more we asked for what he thought you would say. Now we're going to ask you the questions and see how many you match up?"

Everyone started clapping while I blushed a deep red; this had the potential to be very embarrassing.

The first set of questions weren't so bad. I knew that Edward's favorite meal was my taco meatloaf and I'd correctly remembered our first kiss the morning after Kate's birthday down at the marina. I'd gasped when Alice asked me if my fiancé had ever watched porn, my skin going almost purple when I answered yes, because I'd watched some with him. The last question was a little more normal, asking what his biggest fear is, and I knew it was his fear of failure.

Flipping it around to my chance to answer, I messed up the first question, when they asked Edward about our first fight, he had said it was about where he was living the day he brought me lunch, but I had said it was the night he stormed out of Irritable Grizzly before we'd ever asked me out. Edward had guessed correctly that Hugh Jackman was my freebie, because, I mean…look at the man, who wouldn't want a chance with that!

He knew that I admired his work ethic, and was irritated when he left his laundry, especially wet towels on the floor. The final question was the one I'd been dreading, and Edward's answer hadn't made it any easier.

"So, Bella, how often do you and Edward 'make whoopee'?" Alice asked. "Once a month, once a week, or more than once a week?"

I tried to hide behind my hair, but Bree's laughter caught my attention. "I know the answer to this one, and I haven't lived with them in six months."

"More than once a week," I managed to squeak out, but Edward's proud proclamation of the fact had me blushing for what felt like the twentieth time.

"I think my present will be something they'll get plenty of use out of," Kate teased as she handed me a box.

I blushed as she handed me the first of many pieces of lingerie I would receive, along with a gift card for Bed, Bath & Beyond so that I could pick up some more stuff for the house. I'd registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond for a decent amount of stuff, and was excited to see some of those things under the wrapping paper, but I understood some of my friends giving me what they could on a gift card, that way I could buy it with the 10% discount I would get after the wedding. Several people had visited the Hawaii registry and put little pictures of what they'd paid for in the envelope they gave me, giving Edward and I a nice little purse to use on the trip.

When the gifts were finished, we ate cake and then after thanking Kate and Carmen for having the shower at their house, Esme offered to drive me home.

"Today was a lovely day, Bella," Esme said as we negotiated the curves on the one-oh-one.

"It was, and I know that you and Carmen did a lot to help the girls, so thank you," I told my soon to be mother in-law.

"All we did was help them find the best place to cater the barbeque and then Carmen let them use the house. With Eleazar being the godfather of the groom, and our families being so close, she wanted to offer a hand. Alice and Bree came up with all the ideas, and their bridesmaid dresses, they're beautiful. That girl is very talented."

"I know, and she's got a surprise of her own coming for the wedding. I just can't wait to see her face." I chuckled.

"You've got one coming to you as well, but I hope you won't be too mad at me, Isabella." Esme's remark scared me a little.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I bought your china," she told me.

"I know, I opened it at the party, and I'm excited to have the chance to use it this Thanksgiving." I told her.

"No, dear, I bought _all_ your china…the entire set."

"Esme Cullen, what in the world…?" I exclaimed.

"Bella, if you thought the grand gestures were going to stop at my son, you've got a lot to learn about me. You're a part of this family, and every once in a while you will have to put up with being spoiled rotten by your over-indulgent mother in-law."

Smiling over at the only truly maternal figure in my life anymore, I whispered, "There are a lot worse things I could put up with."


	105. Chapter 105

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 105**

**BPOV**

My life continued to blur as I went through the last weeks before I was married to Edward. Edward's friends planned a trip to Vegas, much to my annoyance, taking my man away for three days during which I had my own bachelorette party which included a night out drinking and dancing in Seattle after work on Friday, and a stay over so we could make the short trip to see the Chippendales show at the casino before we drove home so I could work on Sunday.

Edward was a little annoyed about the show, but I told him that I knew the guys weren't flying him to Vegas for the gambling. When I left for work on Friday, Edward was waiting for Jasper to pick him up and take him to the airport.

I got to work to see Eleazar already in the office and the store ready to open. His willingness to jump in and be out on the floor so that his managers could take time off was something I loved about him, because it meant that Jasper and I could plan to do things together and not have to worry about what we would do.

I made it through my day, many of the customers asking about the wedding that was now only two weeks away, and got home so I could get ready to go party with the girls. There were a total of seven of us, with Bree and Rosalie being the two sober ones forced to corral the rest of us. Thankfully, Alice and Bree had found a 18+ club so that Bree could hang out with us.

I slipped into a pair of tight jeans, because there was no way I was wearing a skirt without Edward around to shoo away the handsy guys I was expecting to try and come near me, and a white halter top, because Alice said as the bachelorette I needed to be in white.

With my hair and makeup done, I got in the car with the girls, my bag in the trunk and my phone tucked in my wristlet. We made good time to Seattle and checked into our hotel, dropping our bags into our rooms before taking a cab to the club. The line wasn't terrible as it was still early, but as I was draped in a sash and given an assortment of penis jewelry, it wasn't long before I had circles drawn on my hands by the bouncer and was admitted.

Our group made a bee line for the bar and took a few shots before hitting the floor. I'd been right about the guys wanting to 'show me what I'd be missing' but the girls stayed close, with Rosalie next to me in the center of the circle. I knew she was getting a lot better at going out and cutting loose after whatever her ex had done to her, but I wasn't about to let anything happen to her while I was around.

We had a blast dancing and joking around, drawing plenty of attention to ourselves during the course of the night, but at four a.m. when the bar closed, the bartender had already called for two cabs for us, nodding to Bree as we went out to take the short drive back to the Hotel 1000.

I tried to crawl into bed beside Kate and not let it be known that I was calling Edward, but as soon as he started drunkenly telling me all the things he was going to do to me when he got home, Alice and Rosalie had made their way from their bed to make it stop, but it was Kate that climbed on top of me to yell into my phone.

"Edward, your penis wasn't something I wanted to hear about or see when I was seven and you lost your bathing suit in the ocean, and that still holds true today. So keep it in your pants for the next forty-eight hours and do 'ungodly' things to your woman when I don't have to hear about them."

Edward cursed a few more times before telling me that he'd be dreaming of me in a few minutes.


	106. Chapter 106

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The details of the Chippendale show are based on the youtube video I watched while trying to find Bella's possible strip club options…let's just say I stopped searching when I found the tour.**

******Chapter 106**

**BPOV**

The morning was relaxed as we had a nice breakfast followed by a spa day. I'd been concerned about the cost, but Alice told me that she'd footed the bill for the spa, so everyone was only paying into the hotel and the show, plus food and drink. I wanted to protest about it, but she brushed it off.

"My grandfather was old southern money, and he left me a considerable amount. I can splurge a little when one of my best friends is getting married. I didn't have a lot of close friends growing up, so moving west and having the opportunity to find people who support me and start my fashion line…it's like a dream come true. So please don't worry about what this cost, because I'm happy to do it."

Having been sufficiently silenced, I enjoyed an afternoon of shopping for my honeymoon with my friends, a harrowing experience as I spent more time in lingerie stores than I did places I could buy things to wear out in public, but I'd managed to get myself enough for my ten days in paradise.

After dinner, we drove down to Auburn and I once again donned my sash, but I was happy to see that they'd retired my penis necklace. The seven of us entered the theater only to have the usher bring us to the front row and told us that our seats were dead center.

"You're going to wind up on that stage tonight, so just prepare yourself," Vicky told me as I stared at the stage in front of me.

It wasn't long before the lights went out and the theater erupted into screams. The emcee for the evening welcomed us to the show and led it right into the first number. I was hooting and hollering as the men danced around to some country song, but when the emcee returned to send a few of the guys out into the audience for the first time, I knew I was in trouble.

"Guys, we have a last hurrah sitting right in the front row, how about we bring her center stage and let her have one last check-up before she says 'I do'." One of the guys ran over and lifted me by the waist, leading me to the middle seat, telling me to put my hands behind the chair. When two other women had been found, the lights dimmed a little and a hard bass line started pumping as three men in scrubs and lab coats came onto the stage.

"Oh God," I whined in anticipation as each of the men alternated between the three of us. One checked our reflexes and told us to open up and say 'ahh' as he moved down the line, but the second two…they used their stethoscopes to listen to our hearts and breathing, before checking to see if there was anything interesting happening on my inner thighs. When they'd finished their check-up, they each straddled one of us, and I was happy to have a Hispanic guy who looked nothing like Edward.

He stripped off his lab coat and wrapped it around the back of my neck as he gyrated above me, dropping it so that he could shed his scrub top, but I was glad the striptease ended there. The lap dance was a great experience, and one I never would have agreed to on my own, but it was definitely something else.

After I was helped back to my seat, I watched the rest of the show, enjoying the hot bodies on display, but they were a little too buff for me.

Bree and Rose switched off driving the almost four hours back to Forks, including a stop at Vicky's place, and by 2am I was in bed, my phone tucked to my ear.

"Did you have a nice weekend, baby?" Edward asked, not as drunk as he had been last night.

"Yeah, the show was something else," I told him.

"Did they really pull you onstage for a lap dance?" he asked, sounding a little wounded.

"Yeah, but the guy was too beefy, I like my men lean and well defined."

"You're just saying that," he muttered.

"Edward, you know that I think you're the hottest thing on earth-"

"Besides Hugh Jackman," he retorted.

"Yes, but that's beside the point. If you want to test it out, you can give me a lap dance when you get home and I'll let you know which one was better." I offered him that option, and I heard James yelling at him to get back in the club.

"I'll make you forget about those oiled up meatheads," he vowed before telling James to give him a second.

"Enjoy your night," I whispered.

"Bella," he said my name with a hint of warning, "you're my world. And for the record, I only got two lap dances and they were last night, because the image of you from my birthday put them to shame. I'll be home when you get off from work, tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too, Edward."


	107. Chapter 107

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

First, thanks as always for checking out this story and for the love. A bunch of new readers to the story in the last 48 hours, so welcome to you all. We're nearing the end (relatively speaking, there are 25 chapters left including the epilogue.) And a huge hug to Missus T who rec'd this fic yesterday, in her story, Accidentally in Love.

** Chapter 107**

**EPOV**

I came home from my bachelor party to an empty house as Bella was at work, so I did some laundry and then worked to finalize our travel plans. We were doing a bit of island hopping while in Hawaii, so I wanted to make sure that our rental cars and tenders or flights between islands were all in order.

Deciding that I wanted to surprise her, I breaded some chicken and cooked up some baked potatoes for dinner. I knew she would be home early today because it was Sunday, so I got everything done that I needed to so that we could enjoy some time together tonight.

Bella came in at twenty after with a weary smile as she spotted me. "Hey, Sweetheart, how was Vegas?"

"It would have been better if you'd been there with me," I told her because it was true. As much fun as we'd had, I wanted to do up Vegas with my girl someday.

"You're impossible, but I'm glad you boys had fun," she teased. "Did you start dinner?"

Nodding, I led her to the dining room. "It should be done in a few if you want to clean up."

"Thank you, Edward," she said as her lips brushed mine.

Our night was quiet, as we ate dinner and then watched _Swordfish_, both Bella and I laughing that I got my action film at the same time that she got her Hugh Jackman fix.

The week restarted with our jobs, I had a number of jobs lined up leading up to the wedding and then for my crew while I was away, and Bella had two weeks to get through at the store before we were free to celebrate our marriage.

I called Jared and gave him the schedule I'd set up so that he could make sure the guys took care of their work while I was away and he promised to keep them on point.

The week passed in all of the pre-wedding activity until the time came for the rehearsal dinner. It didn't take long for Pastor Weber to walk us through the service in my parent's backyard before we went to the Lodge for the dinner with our wedding party.

Bella's college friend, and Pastor Weber's daughter, Angela had arrived in town last night and Bella had invited her to the rehearsal dinner so that she could hatch her evil little plan for Alice. It seemed that Angela had a job in New York that would help Alice in some way, so she planned on sitting them together and letting them network.

I smiled as she giggled at Alice's excited expression as she networked with Angela, but my focus was on my fiancée. Bella was glowing beside me as we joked with our friends and family until the voice I'd been waiting to hear called her name.

"Bella?"

"Phil? Oh, my God!" Bella hopped out of her seat and threw her arms around her step father. After a few whispered words of greeting, Bella went around and introduced Phil to everyone.

Phil had called us soon after we returned from our trip to tell us that he and Renee were filing for divorce, and we sent him an invitation to the wedding on his own, Bella was adamant that he remained a part of her family even though he was no longer married to her mother.

Charlie seemed a little tense the first few minutes, but as Phil started telling stories about Bella's high school years, pride evident on his face, Charlie softened to the man who stood in for him when he wasn't in Bella's life every day.

Dinner drew to a close and we said good bye to everyone, which for me included saying good night to Bella as she was not spending the night at home with me. While I understood the tradition, it wouldn't make falling asleep alone any easier tonight.


	108. Chapter 108

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 108**

**EPOV**

I woke up the morning of the thirteenth with a grumble; my bed was far too big when Bella wasn't lying beside me. My mother had put up the girls last night so Bella could sleep in before getting ready for our wedding day.

God, it felt good to even think that. Today, I was marrying the woman of my dreams.

My phone rang right before I got in the shower, and I answered it, telling Jasper what to bring me for breakfast. With that decision out of the way, I showered and waited for the guys to show up.

I knew that Bella was going to spend most of the morning getting ready for the wedding at eleven. We'd opted for an afternoon wedding with the reception following a little after noon so that we could enjoy the meal and the party before Bella and I had to be in Port Angeles. We'd opted to drive to Port Angeles and take the puddle jumper to SeaTac so that we wouldn't have to fight with the traffic and then their security because we'd already been through it before our first flight. We were arriving in Hawaii late tonight, but it gave us a chance to wake up tomorrow fully rested and ready to explore on our first day.

Jasper and Emmett arrived and I ate with them, doing a final check of our suitcases before they were loaded into Emmett's Jeep. At around quarter to ten I went up to change, slicking my hair back a little before walking back down to see my boys in their tuxedos.

"I can't believe you're getting married, man. You and Bella spent a long time dancing around each other, but you're making up for it now," Emmett teased as I fussed with my bow tie.

"What about you boys? Will I be putting on a monkey suit for either of you soon?"

Jasper shook his head, but Emmett just kind of blanched. "Rosalie and I are kind of already married."

"WHAT?" Jasper and I yelled.

"She flew down the morning before you guys came to Vegas and we got married on the Strip. We didn't want anything big or fancy, but yeah…"

"Bella's gonna fucking kill you both when she finds out," I warned him, but he just laughed.

"We told her last night, but we're going to do a small dinner party when you two come home. Rosalie didn't want to steal your thunder, and my parents are just happy that I'm happy. Though, I think she's a little sad not to get to play momma of the groom."

The three of us joked around for a few more minutes before we headed over to the house. My dad was waiting for us when we pulled up and he led us back to part of the yard set up for the ceremony.

My mom had the tables set up near the porch, and the tables would be the seating for both the ceremony and the reception. Bella was already on the far side of the house so she could walk amongst the tables and up onto the porch where the ceremony would be taking place. The DJ booth was on the other side of the porch and as the guys and I took our places, a soft instrumental number began to play through the sound system.

First Alice and then Bree walked the path that Bella would be in a moment, both looking lovely in the wine colored dresses that Alice designed. They took their place opposite me on the porch and then the music swelled and cued my bride's approach.

Bella emerged from her hiding place and I gasped at the sight of her. She was glowing in the fine lace dress, her hair was piled up in a simple up do and she wasn't weighed down by a veil or lots of jewelry. The champagne colored sash around her waist broke up the dress as it flowed down to the small train that trailed behind her. I finally noticed Charlie standing beside her when he placed her hand in mine.

"Take good care of her, Son," Charlie whispered before returning to his seat for the start of the ceremony.


	109. Chapter 109

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 109**

**BPOV**

Edward was almost dazed as I approached him and the moment the ceremony started he was focused completely on me. Edward spoke about divine providence and all the joy and fun I brought to his life during his vows, but it was my words to him that had the greatest effect.

"I've never really known my place in the world. My parents live at opposite ends of the country and because of that neither place ever felt completely like home. After years of being away, I came home for college, and this time I started to find pieces of myself here. The biggest piece being you. Your support, and compassion, and unwavering love are so incredibly humbling. I find myself trying to live up to the gift of having you in my life, but all you want is to have me in yours. We've already been living the vows that we're making to each other today, because in you, I have a partner, a teacher, a lover, and a friend, and I am so excited to see where we can go from here together. Because that's where my place is…by your side for the rest of our lives."

I watched the tears fall from Edward's eyes, my big strong man coming undone at my words of love. The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur until Angela's father told Edward that he could kiss me. We got a little carried away with our PDA, but Emmett and James' wolf whistles brought us back to the moment.

Lunch began with the beautiful food that Esme had helped me choose for the reception and as we made our way around to the various guests, I was overwhelmed by the sense of contentment.

Dancing and laughter filled the hours that followed as I was passed among all the guys, while Edward danced with the girls, but my favorite dances besides the ones shared with Edward were those with my three dads, Charlie, Phil, and Carlisle.

Phil had spent some time talking with my dad and I was happy to see them joking around. I wanted to keep Phil in my life and having Charlie accept him would make that so much easier. It seemed that my dad would accept anyone who looked out for his daughter and loved them half as much as he thought I deserved, which I was eternally grateful for.

The time continued to slip past us until we needed to head to the airport. Taking the time to change into some comfortable, which left Edward mourning the loss of my exposed back, something he had reveled in while we danced, we got in the town car and drove to Port Angeles to let our time in paradise begin.


	110. Chapter 110

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 110**

**BPOV**

It was the way vacations always seemed to go, they took so long to arrive and then seemed to go by far too soon. Our ten days in Hawaii were now behind us and I was starting work today while Edward went to look at a house his mother had made a bid on while we were away.

Real life started to encroach on our bubble, but it didn't keep us from enjoying each other when we had the time. We discussed it that first night in Hawaii, when we were both too tired from the trip to do much of anything anyway, and Edward and I agreed that with the stability that my position brought to our finances, and the emotions my miscarriage had stirred in us that we weren't going to use protection any longer. If we found ourselves blessed, then so be it. If not, it would happen when the time was right.

My newlywed glow in combination with my tan had all of my regular customers teasing me, and when Eleazar pulled me into the office, I thought it was simply to discuss how my trip was.

"Bella, I wanted to tell you something that will have an effect on you as well as the rest of the store, but I need it to be kept under your hat for a little while."

"Sure, Eleazar, whatever it is you can trust me," I told him.

"I've been thinking about it for a while, and discussed it with Jasper, but now that things have settled down around here, I'm looking into selling my half of the store to Jasper. He has the capital now that he's found a buyer for his father's company, and my girls are grown and living their lives away from Forks for the most part. Carmen and I want to enjoy our life while we're still young enough to and this will allow us to."

"Wow…this place won't be the same without you, but it isn't like we'll never see you." I sighed, thinking about what it would mean to have Jasper be the owner and manager. "When would it happen?"

"Most likely at the end of the year. It'll take that long for him to close his deal and for us to draw up one for the store. But I wanted you to know that you two will be working closely as the next phase of Forks Hardware and Lumber begins." Eleazar looked to the camera and shook his head at something he saw there. "It looks like Tia needs some help out there."

Seeing what he was referring to, I went back onto the floor to explain to a customer that we can't take defective items back when they're under warranty from the company, something that irked him to no end.

The rest of my day went by without much issue and soon I was walking into my living room to see Edward smirking. "Good news, love?"

"We have our next flip, the house on Mayberry is perfect and the sale paperwork is already in the works. By the middle or end of September we'll be ready to move on it."

"Is it another foreclosure?" I asked, because that seemed a little fast if the current owners still lived there.

"No, but the owners have already moved to Port Angeles, so they were excited to have someone who was ready to buy. With this moving ahead like it is, we'll have the flip done over the fall and by the holidays we'll be doing smaller projects until we find a new property in the new year."

I was so happy for him. This business with his mother was doing amazing things for his company and his self-esteem and seeing my husband beaming at the leaps and bounds he was improving his business by had me running to kiss him silly.

"Oh, and the grant paperwork came in the mail today, so I am going to reapply and hopefully we'll qualify for at least what we did last year, if not a little more. But I can work on that tomorrow, for now, let's go enjoy dinner and then we can put in a movie."

"Sounds perfect, Edward."


	111. Chapter 111

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 111**

**BPOV**

In the six weeks since the wedding, Edward and I were both enduring a particularly grueling time. Side projects, plus the start of work on the new flip meant that he was working almost as late as I was most nights, taking the time to move inside when it got too dark to finish up the last of the work on the exterior. The plan was a little more ambitious on this project, as they were adding an addition over the garage, which meant that they had to get that framed, wrapped and ready so that they could do the roof and the siding on the addition and the existing portion of the house at the same time.

I'd been feeling a little under the weather recently, mainly tired and achy, but this time I didn't assume it was stress or a cold when I realized that my period still hadn't come.

I made an appointment with Dr. Cole, my gynecologist, and told Jasper that I'd be in a little late today. Having the first appointment, I was in and having my blood drawn right away. After all the necessary tests were run, my doctor had one of the techs bring in the ultrasound machine in.

"The tests say that I'm pregnant?" I asked.

"Yes, and I want to get you a clear ultrasound so that we can see how far along you are. The irregularity of your cycle makes it a little trickier to pinpoint, but we'll know in a few minutes."

She turned the machine on and got everything set up before asking me to lie down and lift up my shirt. The gel was warm as she spread it across my belly and then began press the wand against the surface for a moment before the image appeared on the screen. I was transfixed as Dr. Cole smiled and froze the picture as she took some measurements before printing a few copies and letting the image flutter again.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, turning up the volume a little louder and then pointing to the tiny flutter on the screen. "That's your baby's heartbeat, and it's strong. From the measurements, it looks like you're ten weeks pregnant."

"So the baby's healthy, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong?" I asked, tears in my eyes.

"No," she reassured me. "I would probably say that your conception was somewhere near the end of your honeymoon, probably in the area around the twenty-second. I know that you don't expect a period every month so it was what kept you from assuming that you were pregnant so soon, but you've already passed where you were when you had your miscarriage, and from what I've seen you shouldn't have any problems this time. Just try and take it easy and call the office if you have any questions or concerns."

"Oh my god, I'm really pregnant," I murmured.

"You are. Congratulations, Bella."

After getting cleaned up and walking down to her office, she gave me a prescription for some prenatal vitamins and handed me the sonogram pictures. With an appointment in four weeks, I left the office to get to work.

I got in and headed straight to the office to see about the paperwork. I knew that I needed to get everything taken care of before lunch time, so I counted yesterday's drawers and made a run to the bank. When I got back, I filed the rest of the paperwork and was about to walk out onto the floor when I looked up to see my dad standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" I asked.

His stuttered breath was the first indication that something was wrong, but when I looked closer to see him almost in tears I knew that it was bad. "Bella, we have to go. There was an accident at the Mayberry house today."


	112. Chapter 112

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 112**

**BPOV**

I grabbed my coat and purse, calling out to Jasper that there was an emergency. Charlie hadn't mentioned Edward, but I knew that he was working on their newest flip, so as soon as he said Mayberry I put it all together. Following behind Charlie as he drove to the hospital, I ran into the ER and through to the trauma room only to see Carlisle sitting on the floor holding his head in his hands.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?"

"They won't let me back in there," he whispered. "I was here when they wheeled him in and he just looked so broken. They haven't broached the subject of surgery or what his diagnosis is and I can't stand being out here. I should be with him."

My tears came harder as Carlisle wept and I pulled him to my side. "Let them work, Carlisle. You know that it's hard to do what needs to be done when someone emotionally involved is there watching you. They'll tell us what's happening when they have a better idea themselves."

"Look at me," Carlisle grumbled with a hard shake of his head. "I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around."

"I'm going to need that comfort when they come out here and tell us his prognosis," I told him. "Do you know what happened?"

"I don't know all the specifics, but he was getting the roof ready for them to work on it and fell off the ladder. Nobody has given me an update yet," Carlisle explained.

Carlisle took a few minutes to collect himself as we stayed in the hallway before one of the doctors emerged.

"Why don't we move into one of the conference rooms so that I can tell you more about Edward's condition and then we can have you sign the required paperwork?"

I was about to agree when Carlisle stiffened beside me and spoke to the doctor in a hushed tone. "Is that really necessary?"

"Carlisle, what am I missing?" I asked.

"Nothing," Carlisle said as he allowed us to be led to the nearest room.

Once the door closed, we were settled into the seats opposite from the ER doctor, who was about to give us what I was now assuming to be bad news. "Edward's fall was bad, but it had the potential to be a lot worse, he's very lucky. Most of his injuries were to the left side of his body, as it was the side he landed on, but if he hadn't turned to right himself as much as he did he could have sustained severe damage to his spinal cord."

My gasp had Carlisle cutting in on my behalf. "But the scans didn't show any damage to his spine?"

"No," the doctor confirmed. "He has some badly bruised ribs, which will make breathing difficult until they're fully healed, and a concussion, but with the exception of some nasty looking bruising, the most severe injuries are to his left extremities. Edward broke both his radius and ulna in his arm and his femur in his leg. The x-rays were sent to Dr. Parks and she wants to do the surgery sooner rather than later, because of the position of the femur, so they'll be taking him up in a few minutes. She will come out and speak with you after the surgery, but-"

"Alec, can you have her come down and speak to us before she performs the surgery? I think it will put both mine and Bella's minds at ease to know what her plan is," Carlisle left little room for denying his request.

"I'll call her down, but in the meantime if you could sign the paperwork allowing her to do the surgery, it will allow us to bring him up to prep him." Alec, as I now knew to call him, asked.

"Will I be able to see him before he goes up? Please," I begged. His descriptions of Edward's injuries sounded horrible, so I needed to see with my own eyes that he was okay before he whisked away to surgery.

"I'll tell them to pause in the hallway so that you can have a moment with him, but he's not conscious at the moment," Alec explained and I nodded rapidly.

When the call was made, Alec had me sign the paperwork before I was brought out to see Edward. His head was the only thing exposed as he was covered in blankets, but I could see the bruising on his face. Leaning down to kiss his right temple, I whispered to him. "I'm here, Edward, and I'm not going anywhere so you just relax and let them fix you up. I love you, Sweetheart."

Walking back into the conference room, I saw Carlisle and a young blonde doctor in a heated discussion. "Carlisle, I know your son is active and that's why I'm taking all of this into consideration. I'm using a combination of the plates and screws with the nails in both his leg and arm. For his leg it will add strength, and even though he is right-handed, I would only use nails on his arm because of the type of work he does. Re-braking the bone when you already have a plate in place is much more difficult to fix, as you know." The woman sighed before readdressing Carlisle. "I'm well aware that my nickname in this hospital is 'Jane the Pain', but you also know I'm the best Ortho doctor on the staff. I have been studying his x-rays since they were done and this is the best course of action."

Carlisle slumped back slightly before nodding his acceptance. "You're right, Jane, and it isn't that I doubt your ability, it's just-"

"He's your son," she finished for him. "I wouldn't expect any less from the head of the ER, but this is one of those times where you have to let the surgeon take it from here. I will see you both when I come to tell you how Edward made it through surgery," Dr. Parks said, acknowledging my return to the room.

With the room once again empty, Carlisle took my hand and led me out into the empty hallway. "Let's grab something to eat quickly and then we can head over to the waiting room."


	113. Chapter 113

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 113**

**BPOV**

I hated the waiting room. It was nothing more than a few rows of chairs at the end of a hallway, but the hours I spent there would be forever burned into my brain. I'd called Jasper and told him what happened, then I called Eleazar who told me to focus on Edward, he would cover for me as was needed and he would use my sick days so I wouldn't lose any pay.

Esme had been away at a real estate seminar, but had cut her trip short, catching the first flight out tomorrow morning.

Charlie had stayed with us until he had to start his shift, and the guys from Edward's crew had visited to get an update and to give us the full story.

It seemed that Edward had gone onto the roof to install the safety equipment for his crew to begin repairing the roof, but a piece of tar paper had stuck to the bottom of his shoe and when he went to step on one of the rungs, his foot slipped and he fell.

Jared had followed protocol and called OSHA to report the accident, and as an inspector had been working at a site in Port Angeles, he took the hour detour to make sure that they were in compliance. Thankfully, when they explained the nature of the accident, and the man from OSHA saw that they had all of the necessary safety regulations followed, he declared it a freak accident and said that they were free to return to work.

The younger guys would be working inside, and Paul and Jared were going to begin the roof tomorrow morning when they returned to the house. It was clear that Edward wouldn't be earning his normal worker's salary on the house in addition to the profits from the sale, so his team wanted to keep work moving so they didn't fall behind.

When they saw that I was more or less agreeing blindly to their statements, they told me they'd stop by tomorrow before going to the site and then left.

It felt like it had been an eternity since we'd arrived in the waiting room, but when Dr. Parks walked through the doors Carlisle and I were both standing.

"Everything went exactly as planned," she told us, causing my whole body to relax. "He's in recovery right now, but he should be moved to his room soon. Although it isn't strictly a private room, I don't anticipate there being enough serious trauma or orthopedic patients to require patients to double up in a room. I also called ahead to have a cot moved in so that you can stay with him tonight, Mrs. Cullen. I know we've been talking around you a little since your father-in-law is staff here and has been asking a majority of the questions, but if you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to ask."

"He will be able to continue working construction, right?" It wasn't my biggest concern, but I knew it would be Edward's so I had to have an answer for when he woke up.

"With hard work and physical therapy, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to return to work, barring an unforeseen complication. It will be three to six months before he's back to full strength, or as close as he will get to it, but with it not being his dominant hand, he should be able to cope with a slight decrease in strength if it should happen. I'm going to live up to my nickname and push your husband with the PT regimen I'm going to order for him, but it will be for the best."

"Thank you, Dr. Parks."

She left us to return to work as Carlisle led me towards the main part of the hospital. "Bella, do you want to stop by the house and pick up a few things? I could wait here until you do and send you his room number when he's moved."

"Yeah, okay. I have a few things to pick up, so I'll be like forty-five minutes," I told him, knowing the first place I was going was to the pharmacy to pick up my vitamins.

I called Charlie when I got back to the house and gave him the update before telling him that I was spending the night at the hospital. He offered to stop by in the morning with some breakfast and I agreed, knowing that the hospital food wouldn't be that great.

I packed a bag with clothes for both of us, not knowing how long he would be in there, then I grabbed my laptop and kindle, plus his iPad and drove back to the hospital. Carlisle had sent me the room number, so I went right to his floor and Carlisle left me alone with Edward.

I fussed over Edward as much as I could, but when the exhaustion of the day set in I changed into my pajamas and sat beside Edward in the recliner until I couldn't stay awake any longer.

"Goodnight, my love. I'm just going to be over here on the cot, waiting for you to open those big green eyes of yours. I have the best news to tell you as soon as you wake up."


	114. Chapter 114

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This is coming a little early as I'll be too busy this weekend to post. Thank you again for all the love and support, this is the last angsty storyline before we say good-bye to these guys. Debslmac posted review 275 on twcs and Patti996 was review 500 of ffn. Mizzdee has been a huge help on this story and we should see it come to an end next weekend.

**Chapter 114**

**CPOV**

I left the hospital that night and had no clue what to do with myself. Charlie offered to get some dinner with me, hoping to give me a few minutes to avoid dwelling on what happened to Edward today.

Bella held strong beside me as we heard what Jane had to say about his prognosis, but I knew that the next few months would be trying for both of them so soon in their marriage. The weeks of recovery followed by the physical therapy so that he could return to the job he loved would be difficult, but I knew my son was strong enough.

After a long conversation with Esme, I agreed to go to the hospital first thing and be with Bella instead of going to pick her up at the airport and bring her to see Edward. I fell into a fitful night's sleep and when morning came I got dressed and returned to the hospital to check on the kids.

When I got into the room, Edward was still sleeping, but Bella was tossing and turning on the small cot, soft cries escaping her. I sat beside her and shook her shoulders lightly, waking her from whatever nightmare she was having.

"Bella, are you all right?"

"It was just a bad dream, Carlisle," she brushed me off. "How is he?"

"About the same," I told her. "Do you want to talk about your dream?"

Bella shifted on the cot and then met my eyes. "I fell off a ladder one day while working at the store," she whispered. "It was before Edward and I had started to even talk really, but he saw me fall and ran over to catch me. I was fine because of his quick thinking, and now he has this accident and I wasn't there to keep him safe."

"Bella, you know that you couldn't have stopped this from happening, don't you?" I needed her to know that she wasn't to blame for this and that there was nothing she could have done to prevent his injuries.

"Yeah, I just feel helpless, and now with the baby," she said and then gasped when she realized what she'd revealed.

"You're pregnant?" I asked.

Nodding, she dug into her purse and showed me the tiny sonogram. "Ten weeks, I just confirmed it yesterday a few hours before all of this happened."

I leaned in to kiss her forehead as my hand came around her shoulder. "Edward will be so thrilled to hear that when he wakes up."

As if he knew we were talking about him, Edward started to stir, though he wasn't able to move too much with his injuries. Bella slid past me and sat gingerly on the bed next to Edward, taking his right hand in hers as she whispered to him.

"Bella? Where am I?" Edward asked in a hoarse voice.

"I'll get him some water," I told her, excusing myself so they could have a moment. I told the nurse at the station to page Jane and then took the pitcher of water and a pitcher of ice chips that another nurse got for me into the room.

I helped Edward take a sip before he hissed at the pain the movement caused. "Dad, I need you to be honest with me, how bad is this?"

"You were extremely lucky. Bella had to hear about the possibility of paralysis and serious head injuries from a fall like yours, but thankfully they were all avoided. You'll have a lot of PT ahead of you, but you'll get back to nearly as good as new, if not exactly there. But the hope is that with proper exercise that you will regain the strength."

"Baby, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Edward told Bella as he cupped her cheek, but she just let out a short chuckle.

"Don't worry about what I went through; I'm just glad that you're doing better. But if you want to talk to the baby, you might want to put your hand a little lower." Bella lowered his hand to her stomach and I watched as confusion, shock and then recognition and joy flickered across his face.

"Bella, are you telling me that we're having a baby?"

"I am. I'm ten weeks pregnant, so you have plenty of time to get well before the baby comes."

I watched the two of them interact for a moment, feeling so blessed that they had each other, and that by being together, Bella helped Edward and I find a way to reconnect. Wanting to give them a few more moments by themselves, I went outside to wait for Dr. Parks to come and speak to Edward about his recovery.


	115. Chapter 115

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 115**

**EPOV**

My head was still spinning when my dad returned with my doctor. Dr. Jane Parks, as she introduced herself to me, was the orthopedic surgeon who had repaired the bones in my left arm and leg. I grimaced as she explained the procedures, but she seemed confident that as long as I got back to some level of activity sooner rather than later, I would not have too many problems.

"You're an active guy, Edward, and most complications people have after surgery like this is either a level of pain that reduces the quality of life, or a decrease in strength. Now, for most people who experience either of those issues, they either had multiple breaks or the break was in such a way to decrease the strength of the bone. Neither of those were the case with your injury. It was a single, clean break straight across the bone and the repair was simple. I've had patients with more complex breaks get into rehab and work themselves as close to their pre-injury level of activity. If for some reason, there is an issue of pain down the line, it is usually caused by the rod that was inserted, and not the bone itself, at which point we can remove it anytime after eighteen months. Your forearm was a more complex injury and we used both a rod and a plate in that procedure to give you back your full strength and range of motion without causing more problems for you should you ever re-injure your arm."

Shaking my head at all the information she threw at us, I decided to ask her about the physical therapy everyone had brought up.

"You'll start that in a few weeks, but for now we're going to have to get you walking as soon as possible. One of the physical therapists from the hospital will be by to show you how to use a single crutch, because you can't support your weight on your bad hand, and then we'll start from there. You'll get to see plenty of this hospital before you're released," Dr. Parks said and I frowned.

"How long will I be in here?"

"Two to four days is normal, there are some things we need to see happen before you can be discharged, and how you walk with the crutches will be the most important," she explained.

After a few more minutes of discussing my prognosis, Dr. Parks went to call the physical therapist. Bella and I were waiting around when a nurse came in carrying my crutch. "Excuse me, do you know when the therapist will be in to see me?"

Turning to face me with a scowl, she huffed out a breath. "My name is Heidi, and I am the physical therapist that Dr. Parks had assigned to your case."

Well, that went well.


	116. Chapter 116

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 116**

**BPOV**

I wasn't the type of person to hate easily, but after the last three days, I hated Edward's physical therapist. Heidi was a snotty little bitch to me whenever I was in the hospital, which was all day during visiting hours, and no matter how good of a mood Edward was in before she arrived, my husband was nothing but a surly grump when she strutted her ass out of his hospital room.

She was a button pusher, and that might be the motivation some people needed, but Edward wasn't one of them. If you told him what to do, and showed him properly, that was all he needed; especially knowing that we had a baby on the way. He wanted to be 100% before the baby was born so he was ready to put in the work, but her whiny, grating voice as she kept telling him to try harder frustrated him to the point where he didn't want to do it.

Even Carlisle and Esme noticed the tension when they came into the room after her first visit, and Carlisle was already calling a rehabilitation center in Port Angeles to have his file transferred there instead of being done as an outpatient in Forks.

That seemed to piss Heidi off even more, spouting about preferential treatment and how Edward was going to be hobbling along for the rest of his life. When those words left her mouth, I snapped.

"Listen, you sociopathic bitch! This whole drill instructor routine may work for some patients, but it isn't working for my husband, so back the fuck off, before I have a nice long talk with your boss and have you removed from his case immediately. Patient morale is an important part of recovery and you kill every bit of excitement he has when he's been able to make it a little further than he did the last time he went out. Now, get the hell out of this room and don't come back until you've had a personality transplant, or remember to take your meds."

With a snarl, Heidi left and Carlisle returned with Dr. Parks. "It looks like I came just in time, because I can see the honeymoon is over between you two and Heidi. Your discharge papers are all set, and we've already sent all of your information to the facility in Port Angeles. Also, your wife has followed my instructions for setting up your home, so from here we will see each other in two weeks so that I can have a set of x-rays done and see about getting you started on some basic exercises. Take care of yourself, Edward."

Edward let them wheel him out to Emily's station wagon, which I was borrowing until he was healed. She had my truck, so I didn't feel too bad about the switch, but Edward seemed annoyed.

"What's this?"

"I needed a car that you could get in and out of easier than our trucks, so Emily and I swapped cars for a while. It's only temporary."

Sighing, Edward used his right arm to adjust his leg so it was as straight as it could be while sitting down. "What else is only temporary? Dr. Parks made it sound like you kid-proofed the house for gimps or something?"

"Well, there were a few things I had to do. Like we got a full-size mattress that will eventually go in one of the spare rooms upstairs and put it in your office, right where the couches used to be. Those were put in the basement for the time being. And you'll have to shower in the basement because there are fewer stairs down than there are going up to the second floor."

"So I'm stuck in the house all day and I can't even have you with me when I go to sleep at night?" he asked.

"I'd be nervous sleeping next to you, but I ordered a set of walkie talkies so you can radio me from the main floor if you need anything."

"Great," he muttered as I tried to be positive.

"Do you want me to fix you something special for dinner? I ran to the store before visiting hours began so we have all of your favorites in the house."

"I'm not that hungry, so whatever you want is fine," he mumbled and I decided to try and change the subject.

"Jared has been keeping track of the work these past few days and said if you wanted to do a Skype walkthrough of the house, he'd do that. And then he could come over and let you plan out the next few projects that you want them to move to. The books are all in your office if you want to look through the different fixtures and supplies so you can order what's needed after you talk."

That seemed to perk Edward up a little as he thought about being back to work, even if it was only supervising from the house. "That sounds good, and it will give me something to do while you're at work all day."

"Edward, I'm not going back to work for a while," I told him.

"What are you talking about? You can't have that many paid sick days left."

Sighing, I waited until I had the car stopped in front of the house before I told him. "I'm going to apply for FMLA, it'll give me twelve weeks to help you, which will get you through most of your healing and into your more active PT. It'll be a challenge, but-"

"Challenge? Bella we need that money. I'm not making money off the work on projects for a while, so what I earn off the sale of this house when it's completed and the kickback from the guys is my only income. We'll find a way to make it work, Bella, but not with you sitting around all day to hover like you've done the last few days."

Gasping, I turned to him in a barely contained rage. "Edward, I'm sorry that you feel like I'm hovering, but that afternoon when my dad came to tell me about your accident, I was sitting in the office so excited to be able to tell you that we were having a baby. You could have died or been paralyzed that day and that thought is what keeps me up at night. I need you, Edward, but I'd like to be needed too. I'll call Eleazar and tell him that I'll be back to work tomorrow, but I'll reserve the right to use my days should my husband decide that he wants me around."

Turning off the car, I left him there, knowing that he would be able to manage the few stairs we had with the aid of his crutch, because he had obviously had his fill of me.


	117. Chapter 117

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 117**

**EPOV**

I'd known that I had screwed up as soon as the words had left my mouth, but it didn't make it right. When I got in the house Bella was putting a plate in the microwave for me and making her way upstairs…she didn't come back down that night.

The following morning she was up and on her way to work before I got up and I wished that there was someone to talk to who wouldn't look at me like I was an asshole for how I'd treated Bella. My mom stopped by and was surprised that Bella had gone back to work, but I told her that she was doing it because I'd asked her to put in some hours and stretch out her sick time.

I hated lying to my mother.

I was still feeling sorry for myself when my cell rang and I saw a welcome number on my screen. "Phil, how are you?"

"I'm good, Edward, but the more important thing is how are you feeling? Bella said you were released yesterday."

"I'm as well as I guess I could be," I told him honestly. "Stories on the internet freak me out, but my doctor seems confident that I'll be back to my old self in six months. I don't really know what to think."

"It'll be tough, but just remember that I've been where you are. I was a lot worse off than you, and now look at me." Phil tried to cheer me up, but I remembered his slight limp.

"It ended your career, though, and your one leg doesn't have its full strength," I said and Phil was quick to answer back.

"The limp is from my knee injury, not any of my long bones, and there's a difference between no longer being able to keep up in the Minor Leagues and working construction. So you may never get on a roof again, which would be more a fear of the accident than the level of recovery, you'll still be able to do the rest of the work on the houses and you've got a crew that you can send up to do those things. It's a perk of being the boss." Phil paused for a moment before continuing. "I know that it seems hopeless right now, but you will get through this, Edward. And if you need me to kick your butt into shape, I'll be on the next flight."

"You would do that?" I asked.

"Edward, I don't have a job or a wife to bind me to Florida anymore, and if being there for you and Bella will help then I'll do it."

"I think you should book a flight, because I really upset her last night, and I think that having you here to help me will make things better."

"I'll call you later when I know more about my flight." Phil hung up and I decided to make a little peace offering for when Bella got home.

The rest of the afternoon I hung out on the couch with my arm and leg elevated as I sat in the corner of the sectional. Right before the store closed I ordered pizza so she wouldn't have to cook and then I cued up _Australia._

Right before eight-thirty, Bella walked in with the pizza, having run into the delivery guy outside. She looked so tired that I wanted to curl up with her, but I knew that I had a lot of sucking up to do.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked as she sat down the pizza and poured herself some soda from the bottle on the coffee table.

"A little better. My mom missed you when she stopped by, and I had a chat with Phil this afternoon," I told her.

"Oh yeah, what's he up to?"

"Packing to stay with us for a while," I blurted out.

"Phil's going to be visiting?" she seemed a little confused.

"After being an ass yesterday, I thought it might be better if there was someone who could understand this from both sides, so when Phil called I started talking to him and he offered to fly out and I took him up on it. This way there will be someone here with me who knows all about my PT and can help me, and if I'm a prick again, he'll hit me, even if I'm a gimp at the moment."

Bella let out a humorless laugh and I reached out for her hand as it sat on her knee. "Baby, I was cruel last night, and there isn't an excuse for it. I'm so angry about the fact that this happened and that it's left you having to pick up so much of my slack, but that doesn't give me the right to yell at you for worrying about me. Back in January I was terrified for you, and this is a lot more serious. So please, forgive me for my behavior. I can't promise to be perfect, but I will promise to try harder."

"That's all I want, Edward," she cried, allowing me to pull her into my side. "Don't push me away, because I don't know if I could take that."

"I won't, love. Losing you would kill me," I told her.

"You're not losing anything, Edward. Just talk to me." She looked at my hair and ran her fingers through it as she moved onto her next topic. "Do you want to shower tonight or anything?"

"No, I just want to eat this pizza and watch what I have pulled up on Netflix," I stated simply, but her attention went to the TV long enough to start laughing.

"If you keep making mistakes, we'll have gone through every movie he's ever made," she teased as she went to get us plates and we settled in to eat and make up for harsh words of the day before.


	118. Chapter 118

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 118**

**BPOV**

One week became two, and two became four. Phil was throwing himself into Edward's care, when he wasn't fishing with Charlie. That pairing still blew my mind, but it was so wonderful to see.

Edward's appointments with Dr. Parks had been positive, and the pain was decreasing, making his moods much better. He'd started some minor stretches, but was now in full on therapy, working on his range of motion and muscle strength. His first two appointments with the physical therapist went well, and he was doing the exercises with Phil at home like he was supposed to. Edward still had moments of fear that he wouldn't be able to return to his active lifestyle, but they were fewer and farther between now.

Thanksgiving had passed with my dad and Phil coming over along with Esme and Carlisle. Esme and I worked in the kitchen, but it was a much more relaxed holiday than last year.

Edward's next x-ray showed that his bone was healing well and Edward was waiting for the next step, which would be stepping down from the crutches to a cane. I'd scheduled my eighteen week sonogram for the same day as his next appointment with Dr. Parks so he could come to see the baby and possibly find out the sex with me.

The general reaction from everyone to our news about the baby was overwhelming excitement. Eleazar and Jasper had discussed the sale of the store, and it wouldn't be final until January, so Eleazar kept telling me that if I needed to take a day for myself or Edward, that all I had to do was call him.

Jasper was also training Bree to open and close, so when I took maternity leave, she could help with that and Jasper would have to do the bookkeeping for me. Morning sickness wasn't too terrible for me, something I was grateful for, and Edward kept telling me that he was excited that I finally had a little baby bump.

Alice called me, wanting to hang out and do some Christmas shopping, and since it felt like ages since I'd seen her, I readily agreed. Besides, I needed to go buy some maternity wear.

Alice picked me up early the next morning, stopping in to say hi to Edward before we left him and Phil to work on his exercises.

"He seems to be doing a lot better," Alice said as she turned onto the one-oh-one.

"He is," I admitted. "Having Phil around has helped a lot, and the fact that the break is healing gives him confidence. I think he knows that his left leg will never be as strong as it was, but that's okay. As long as he can continue to work and he doesn't have a lot of residual pain. The internet was definitely his enemy this time."

"Well I'm glad things are improving, even though having your step father in the house must put a kink in things," she teased, but that wasn't happening either way.

"Alice, his leg isn't fully healed yet and his ribs are finally better. They just okayed him to go around without the sling on his left arm, all of these things have kind of taken sex out of the equation, which is a shame, because my hormones are driving me crazy."

Giggling, she continued going south to avoid the tolls on our way to Bellevue. With a stop so I could stretch my legs about halfway there, we arrived at the store right when it opened at ten.

"So, Alice, how's the clothing line going?" I asked as I started to look at the various sweaters and tops that they had on the rack.

"It's actually going really well. I have my spring line in production and I sent Angela some samples and pictures of my designs and she ordered them for her boutique. The website is in the works and will go live in February so that I can work out the kinks before I have people really checking it out to shop. I'm also going to be doing some blog interviews and events to try and draw attention to the line."

"I'm so excited for you. This really is a great thing for you, and hopefully you can build enough buzz so that when you do open your own boutique it'll make a big impact on your first season." I really was happy to see Alice doing this well, and with Kate now finished with school, she was taking an interest in the business side of the hardware store so she would be able to translate that when Alice opened her shop.

After a while of digging through what felt like overpriced maternity wear at more than one store, we headed to Seattle to do some Christmas shopping and hopefully find me some other clothing in the department stores.

Edward and I had agreed to get his parents a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant in Seattle, so I picked that up before we hit the stores.

I got little gifts for Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Bree, and even snuck in something for Alice when she was off doing 'recon' on her competition. Kate and Garrett were moving in together to an apartment in Forks, so I picked up something for them for their new place, but Edward as always was a big question mark.

We left the shops we had been at and stopped for a late lunch, leading to Alice asking more questions about my relationship with Edward.

"Bella, how did you know that you were ready to make all of the big moves with Edward that you did? I mean you moved in quick, and you got engaged after like seven months, and now the baby…this isn't coming out right."

Smiling, I stole one of her fries as I tried to determine how to respond. "Can I ask you why you're asking me this? You didn't have these concerns when I was doing it."

"I think Jasper's going to ask me to marry him and I'm freaking out a little. I love him, but marriage is a big step, and you just always seemed so sure when you and Edward moved to the next level." Alice looked so cute as she had her little freak out, but I had to nip it in the bud.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Miss him when you're apart?"

"Sure I do."

"What hurt more about the whole Maria thing, that he may have cheated, or that you lost him?"

"Losing him. What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Because you're answering your own question. You love him, can't be without him, and you're living in Forks trying to launch a clothing line. You're either madly in love, or trying to sabotage your company, and I don't think it's the second choice. When he asks you, you'll know, believe me."

"Thanks." She smiled, feeling better about her situation. "Now, you're still feeling okay? Because there's another maternity store I want you to try and there's a Babies 'R Us on the way back."

"Alice, you have that look in your eye…" I knew she was trying to convince me to register for the baby, but I wasn't even sure what I'd need yet.

"Bella, I know you've been researching, and I actually did some research about things that mom's really need and things that they never actually use. Please? When you're further along it'll be harder to get you in the store and you're still feeling good so we should use that."

"Fine, but I can call it a day if it gets too crazy," I warned and she surrendered.

The maternity store was our first stop and the discount prices made me feel much better about the clothes I was buying. It felt like a waste to buy it only to hope I could use them the next time I got pregnant because I was spending $130 on a pair of jeans.

With my spirits somewhat lifted, I walked into the store with Alice and set up my registry. We walked around the store and picked out some things, scanning them quickly before we made fun of the more outrageous items. I mean, seriously, who buys a wipe warmer?

It took us a while to meander through the store, but I had a registry of essentials and some cute clothing to set the tone for people to know what to buy me. Edward called to ask about dinner and I told him to fend for himself and that Alice and I would get something on our way home.

Having managed to get the registry done put a little spring in my step, and as we were walking back out I spotted something I really liked.

"Alice, wait, I want to get this for Edward."

"Ooh, a man's diaper bag, that'll be good. That way he can take the baby without carrying the floral one you just picked out for yourself."

Purchasing it as part of Edward's Christmas gift, we gave up on our shopping and started back home, stopping in Olympia to grab some food.

"Alice, can we run into Best Buy first, I think I have the perfect gift for Edward."

Walking into the store, we were quickly escorted over to the section that had all of the camcorders. I knew that Edward would love to be able to record our baby's firsts, but he would always rationalize that the money was needed elsewhere and we could borrow his mom's camera for special occasions. It took us a little while, but I found one that was perfect for him, and was happy to find it on sale.

Once we left the store, we hit the drive thru at Taco Bell and then finally returned to Forks. Edward was waiting up for me, concerned by all the bags Alice helped me carry upstairs, but once he realized that my Christmas shopping was done and I'd managed to do everything I needed, he was happy that I'd had the day to myself.

"So, Bella, what do you say you change for the night and we can go to bed early in the den?"

Smiling at my man, I agreed and went to change for the evening.


	119. Chapter 119

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 119**

**BPOV**

A few days after my shopping trip with Alice, Edward and I climbed into Emily's car and drove to the hospital. It was eight weeks after Edward's surgery, and if the x-ray showed that the bone had healed as it should, he could trade in his crutch for a cane and begin the next level of physical therapy. It was important to Edward that everything go well so that he could work back to the point where he would be able to lift and do the work he used to.

It was an emotional day for me as well, because I wanted him to get good news. The last eight weeks had been rough on Edward, even though he hated to admit it. The work it took to get downstairs to shower was bad enough, and he was embarrassed about having to sit on a stool so he wouldn't fall. He also hated that we couldn't sleep in our bedroom. The lack of sex went without saying, but just lying in our room was something he missed desperately. I wanted Edward to have his freedom back, and I longed for the day that we moved that bed out of his office.

Pulling into the hospital, I walked around to the passenger's side to offer him a hand before we walked into the main entrance so we could be taken down to radiology. They took the scans of Edward's leg and arm and then he was wheeled back to Dr. Parks' office to wait for the verdict.

"What if there's something wrong with my leg?" Edward asks. "It doesn't feel as strong as it should by now, and…I don't have great range of motion. I just feel like you got the shit end of the stick when it comes to all this." He waved his arms around himself and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Being with you isn't the shit end of the stick," I stated firmly. "I love you more than anything, more than my own life, and I wouldn't care if you were in a wheelchair or paralyzed to the point where you were in bed for the rest of your life. You are my husband, and we're going to be having a baby, one that you will be chasing after because your leg will be fine. Your progress is so much more than I had expected, and I know that Phil is already thinking about when he will return to Florida to tie up his loose ends for the move to Seattle so he can begin working for the Mariners next season. We will move on from this accident and you will be back to work with your crew. Don't doubt your ability to push through this."

"She's right," Dr. Parks said as she entered the room. "Your progress is quite impressive."

"It is?" Edward asked as she snapped a few x-rays onto the light board hanging on the wall.

"Yes," Jane told him as she started with his arm. "Your forearm is healed and you don't seem to have any problems with it as far as the notes from the rehabilitation facility, but let me just see for myself."

Edward moved his wrist and showed no sign of discomfort. Smiling, Dr. Parks moved to his second set of x-rays. "As for your femur, there is significant healing, enough for me to approve the next phase of physical therapy. You will start to slowly work on more intense stretching and will also begin strength building, but that will begin in the pool, as it will gently start you on the path. Do not overdo it, Edward. I'm making this a slower road for you because I know what your goals are. If you push it and reinjure yourself, you will be the owner of a construction business, instead of one of the guys working on projects as well. This is going to take at least another couple of months, but it will have much more satisfying results."

"Will he be able to use the stairs more often?" I asked, knowing it was one of the biggest annoyances for Edward.

"Unfortunately it puts a lot of strain on his leg, strain I would like to avoid," Dr. Parks explained. "Right now your range of motion is about ninety-five degrees, which is good for the stage you are at, but climbing the stairs uses repetitive motion that can overtax the muscles. As we continue to build strength and range of motion we will get you back to the area of one hundred and twenty or one-twenty-five, which is a significant number because it will be what gets Edward back on the jobsite."

"Why is that number important," he questioned her.

"That range of motion is used when squatting, especially squatting to lift something, and if you can achieve that and have the strength to support yourself and additional weight, then being on the jobsite won't be an issue. That is my goal with you. So we will step you down from the crutch to a cane, which you will use for the next six to eight weeks. I will see you again in six weeks to review your progress further."

"Are you saying that I might be back to work after that?" Edward asked hopefully.

"I would put an educated estimate at six months post surgery, which is still four months from now, so maybe by tax time you'll be swinging a hammer again."

"That's great news, doctor, thank you," Edward said with a big grin.

Edward took a few minutes to walk with his cane for Dr. Parks before we were allowed to walk out to the car so I could drive us to my appointment. The lack of tension on that short drive was enough to let me know that we'd be okay.


	120. Chapter 120

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

It's a little sad to say that this is my last Wednesday post for this story...I will post the remaining chapters this Sunday and we will say goodbye to this group, but never fear, I have plenty of stories to finish and a few bunnies waiting their turn.

Love as always to my faithful reviewers, from those who pop in every once in a while to the ones who review at least once a batch, your support makes this worth it. This time around debslmac was review 300 on twcs and RobandKrisChick was number 550 on ffn.

Twelve more to go...

**Chapter 120**

**EPOV**

My appointment with Dr. Parks gave me a lot of hope. The pain was lessening with each week, and if the worst I had was an ache when the weather was cold then I could manage. Hell, I was always achy from the work I do.

Bella's excitement for me, and her unending support meant the world to me, and I'd gotten Garrett's help with her Christmas present to show her just how much it meant, but I first needed to find a way to get the guys in to do the work on the laundry room without her noticing.

I was practically humming as we parked in front of her doctor's office, and as she led me into the waiting room, I was surprised by the number of women in the room for such a small town. It wasn't long before she was taken back to do all of the normal check-up stuff and then a nurse came to find me.

"Mr. Cullen, it's good to see you moving around so well. At the rate you're moving, you'll be ready in plenty of time for your little one." I smiled at the kindly older woman as she opened the door to reveal Bella lying on the table with a blanket over her.

"There's daddy, now we can get started." Bella's doctor went through the things you see in the movies, the moving of clothing and the squirts of gel. She pressed the wand pretty hard as she looked for our baby, but soon she had our little one up on the screen. She froze something and then began clicking away on the monitor. "Sorry to interrupt the show, but I just need to take a few measurements and then we'll get some closer pictures and see if we can determine the sex."

I watched as she logged bone lengths and the size of the baby's head. There were an unbelievable number of things to check, but as she finished the screen began to move again and soon she was typing little messages and printing a bunch of sonograms, adding to the first set that printed after the measurements were done.

"Well, your baby certainly isn't camera shy, but let's see what we can find out about whether or not we can call him a her."

I watched as she changed the angle a little and had Bella move a bit as well, but soon she seemed to have the position she wanted. A few more clicks and the screen was frozen again. With a click it printed again and she pointed with her finger to the screen.

"Do you see those lines right there?" she asked.

"Yes," Bella and I responded.

"That's the proof that you're having a little girl," she told us, bringing a smile back to my face.

"A girl?" I asked, astounded.

"That's correct, she's growing nicely and her heartbeat is strong, so just keep doing as you are, Mom, and everything should be good."

We left the appointment with a ton of pictures and a ridiculous pair of matching grins. Today had been a good day.


	121. Chapter 121

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 121**

**BPOV**

Watching Edward's reaction to seeing the baby had been so amazing. He had loved our little girl since the first time he'd heard of her existence, but with his accident he hadn't been to an ultrasound before today. The look of awe and joy was so beautiful, and the way he couldn't turn away from the screen, even when the doctor was taking measurements, made me love him that much more.

The drive home was filled with discussions about preparing for the baby. I'd told him about everything I'd registered for and how the biggest thing we'd need besides that would be furniture. That afternoon he pulled me into the office so we could lounge in bed and look at our options.

"You said that you saw some furniture at the store you went to, so you have a good idea of what you want, right Bella?"

"Yes," I assured him, "the biggest thing I want is a convertible bed. They make them where it starts as a crib and the child can use it as a headboard and footboard when they grow into a real mattress. And we don't need a big name, we can find one at Target or Walmart that will work fine and won't cost a fortune."

"Baby, you know my mom is going to want to buy us the big ticket items?"

Laughing at him, I explained what was already in place. "Your mom is buying the stroller. I got her the exact information, but didn't register for it. Believe me when I tell you that our stroller and car seat combo will cost more than the furniture."

"Okay, as long as you have that all squared away with my mom. Do you know what your dad will want to do?"

Nodding, I pulled up the exact rocking chair and ottoman that I wanted on his computer. "That's what my dad is going to get me. He said that he spent a lot of time in the rocking chair when I was a baby and it wasn't that comfortable, so he told me he would get us a rocker that we could fall asleep in without killing our backs."

"Leave it to Charlie to be the practical one." Edward laughed as we continued to shop.

When we finally found a set that we liked, we ordered it, plus two bassinets, one for the bedroom and one for the living room, so that way we could put the baby to sleep near where we were if we wanted to be close to her.

It was about $1200 with shipping once everything was done, but I knew that both Edward and I were feeling better knowing it was on the way. After that, I opened the registry to get rid of the few boy specific things we'd added as a guide and then Edward helped me pick out a few more things we needed.

By dinner time that night, Edward had received a call from his rehabilitation center to schedule the next appointment for his new physical therapy regimen, and we were already trying to come up with names for our daughter. We didn't want anything from our families, so we decided to search for something original and make a final decision when we found one we loved.


	122. Chapter 122

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 122**

**BPOV**

The last two weeks before Christmas passed way too fast for my liking. Work was crazy and Phil was bringing Edward to the Rehab facility so he could use their indoor pool to exercise his leg. The improvement of his mood now that he was able to work more on strength building was unbelievable, even if he was still pouting about the embargo on sex.

Dr. Parks had told him that it would put too much pressure on his leg and that she'd prefer that he waited until he was free of the cane for actual intercourse, but oral was finally allowed and we'd both been enjoying those benefits.

As for the holiday itself, my dad was coming over on Christmas Eve along with Edward's parents, and the holiday was just the two of us. Phil flew out to Phoenix this morning to visit his family, so it would be a small affair here.

We were still stumped on baby names, and I was really starting to wonder if we'd ever find anything that we both liked. As for now I had a few middle names that I was just waiting for the right first name to come along.

Jared was in my pantry doing a repair that Edward called him about, which had me suspicious, but when Kate walked into my kitchen, I was fully confused.

"Hey, what's all this?" Kate asked as she looked at the food I had laid out.

"I'm trying to get everything sorted for dinner tomorrow. The sweet potatoes and the carrots I can do today, along with the pies, and then I just have to reheat them tomorrow. What I really want to know is what Jared is doing to my washing machine, and why Garrett is hiding in Edward's office with him." I eyed her, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Edward's giving him your gift for us, and Garrett is giving him our present for the both of you. Call me later to let me know how much you love it," she joked as Garrett came into the kitchen.

"Why are we not coming here for dinner tomorrow?" Garrett asked as he gave me a quick kiss.

"Next Thanksgiving we're going to have friends over and leave Christmas for family, you'll get to eat my holiday cooking then."

"I'd take Tuesday night dinner from what Edward tells me, but I'm holding you to Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas, Bella."

Laughing at the pair of them, I watched them run to where Edward was waiting by the front door.

"Okay, Bella, the washing machine is all fixed," Jared hollered from the pantry/laundry room.

"It wasn't broken, Jared, what are you up t-"

I stopped when I spotted what looked suspiciously like a litter box hooked up to my washing machine by a hose. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

Jared kissed me on the cheek before ducking out of the house. I turned to see that Edward was locking up before he waved me to him. "Come on, I'll show you why I had him install that."

Following him into the room, I saw the reason standing at the end of the bed, contemplating jumping off the edge before thinking better of it. A black and white kitten with a black patch on his nose and the biggest little ears stood meowing for someone to put him down.

"Edward…" I started, but I couldn't find the words.

"His name is socket, and he's eight weeks old. Garrett told me about the kittens that his sister's cat had and I told him to get me one. So I went over and picked him out one afternoon while I was in Port Angeles and he's finally old enough to be away from his mother. Merry Christmas, Baby!"

"But what are we doing to do about his litter, Edward? I can't change it, and you shouldn't bend like that yet."

"That's why Jared was here. That litter box flushes almost like a toilet, so you never touch the litter. Trust me, Bella, I thought this out and I know that you wanted a pet when you were little but were never able to have one, and I wanted to do this for us. We've had a rough few months, and with the baby coming I wanted you to have the time to bond with him and get him settled before the baby's born."

He almost looked nervous, and I felt bad for scolding him, as if he hadn't thought this through before doing it. "I can't believe you got me a cat, Edward. This is the best Christmas present ever."

"Really? You're not mad?"

Now the hopeful look on his face made me want to hit myself. "I was surprised, Edward, but definitely not mad. And Socket has to be the cutest name ever for him."

I picked up the cat who immediately started nuzzling my face, finding a home in the crook of my neck before he proceeded to give me a bath. "I'm going to show him where the litter box is. And we should set up his food near there too. Do you have supplies for him?"

"That's what Kate and Garrett got us for Christmas, why don't you carry the bag and I'll carry the munchkin." I shot him a glare, knowing he wasn't supposed to be carrying much. "What, the limit is a dinner plate with food on it for what I can carry, and he's not that heavy. Plus, the doctor at the rehab is really pleased with the increase in my range of motion."

"Have they given you any more estimates?"

"She said that by four months I could go back to a normal job, but because I'm in construction she said six months is what she's willing to say, but that could change. Though I'd be happy to be back to work in April. Right now I'm just shooting for February twentieth, because that's when she is going to evaluate me for the last phase of physical therapy. Thinking past the next step always seems to end badly for me."

"I wish I could go with you to physical therapy," I said as we walked into the laundry area and I set up Socket's little water fountain and food bowl.

"Bella, do remember the day you brought me home from the hospital and how we got in that big fight about you taking FMLA?" I didn't have to turn around to see Edward's face to know that he was ashamed to have to bring this up.

"I don't think I'll ever forget that fight," I told him honestly as I placed Socket on the floor to explore.

"And I don't ever want to relive it. I have good days and bad, but the drive home lets me put it in perspective before I'm here yelling at you for the dumbest things imaginable. I tell you the important stuff, but I do it with a clearer head and you help me see the important things. What you do for me is so much more important than if you were sitting in a chair across the room watching me do stretches." Edward gripped my hand and pulled me out into the kitchen. "Besides, when Phil starts working next month I'll need you to take some time off to drive me to Port Angeles for therapy, so you'll see it then."

"Thank you, Edward, and I'm sorry for being such a grouch, but I'm just so tired."

"That's okay, Sweetheart, you have put in for a few days vacation around the shower, so you can relax then. Mom said it's at the end of January, right?"

"Yeah, she wanted to do it earlier rather than later," I explained. "I'm going to finish up in the kitchen and then we can watch some TV before I throw in a pizza for dinner."

"Or we could go into the office and relieve a little bit of tension. We do have the house to ourselves for the next few days." Edward's smirk had me packing up everything that wasn't already in the oven, knowing I had a little more than thirty minutes before I'd have to take out the pies.


	123. Chapter 123

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 123**

**BPOV**

The morning of Christmas Eve had me in the kitchen before Edward had even woken up. Our little girl was really starting to make her presence known with the little pushes and nudges that I was feeling, but there was never anyone around when it happened. I was hoping that Edward would be able to feel it too.

My morning progressed and soon Edward was coming into the kitchen to look for something to eat. "Morning, Baby. Do you think you can help me get downstairs to shower before it gets too late?"

"Sure, Edward, just let me get this last pie in the oven and I'll help you down."

"Didn't you make the pies last night?" he asked.

"I was but someone distracted me from getting them finished," I teased as I put the pie on the middle rack and then walked with him down the stairs to the basement.

Socket followed behind us and I couldn't help but smile at my little buddy. He truly was the best gift I'd ever been given besides Edward and our little girl.

We made it into the bathroom and I helped Edward get set up as he still needed to use the stool so he wouldn't slip with the diminished strength. I was just about to leave him to take care of his needs when I gasped, feeling the baby press against my hand.

"Edward, give me your hand," I said reaching out and pressing it against where I'd felt the movement.

"What is that?" he asked, his eyes flashing between my face and the spot where his hand rested on my belly.

"That's our baby," I told him.

"What do you think of naming her Amanda?" Edward asked and I smiled.

"I like that, and it works with what I had been thinking of for a possible middle name. Amanda Hope Cullen." I watched his face completely light up and in that moment I knew we'd just named our daughter.


	124. Chapter 124

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 124**

**BPOV**

Several hours later, our parents had arrived and were sitting around eating the appetizers I'd made while we talked about the past few weeks.

"It really is too bad that Phil couldn't be here, I would love to thank him for everything he's done for you," Esme told us again as she tried one of the cocktail meatballs.

"His parents are moving into a fifty-five plus community, so they had some things to give him before they sold the house, so it was the best time for him to go. Plus, my mom didn't get along with his parents so they never went there for the holidays," I explained and Charlie just laughed.

"It must be her, because your Gram and Renee were always at each other's throats."

"Don't blame them," Edward muttered but his mom was quick to try and silence him. "No, Mom, you weren't there the day she told Bella that it was a good thing that she had the miscarriage. We've talked about it and we're both better off with her out of our life."

"He's right, Esme, my mom isn't someone that I want anywhere near us, and especially not our daughter."

I felt her push out again so I took Edward's hand and laid it on my stomach.

"Is she kicking?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah, do you guys want to feel it?" Of course the grandparents did, so I allowed them to each take a turn before she got bored with the attention.

"I can't believe how fast your pregnancy is going," Esme said and I just looked at her.

"Maybe on the outside, but I feel like I've been pregnant forever and I'm at the midway point now. I think now that we know she's a girl and have found a name that we like it makes everything that much more real. I'm just ready to meet her already," I told them and Esme moved to sit beside me again.

"What's her name, if I can ask?"

"Amanda Hope Cullen," I told her as we both teared up a little.

A timer in the kitchen had me jumping up to check on the ham, and Esme was right behind me. "That's a sweet name for her, Bella, and it's so fitting."

"I had wanted a virtue for her middle name, and Edward had been looking up names that meant love or something like that and Amanda stuck out in his mind, so when we felt her kick he mentioned it and it felt right."

"That's how it should be," Esme responded before a soft meow caused her to jump. "When did you get a cat?"

"It's my Christmas present from Edward. He even got a special litter box so I don't have to scoop it. His name is Socket and he's eight weeks old."

"Leave it to you and Edward to name your cat after a hand tool." She laughed as we continued to work side by side. We were quiet for a while before she asked me how Edward was doing.

"He's really doing so much better. He has two months until his next big check in with his doctors, which will hopefully allow him to increase his strength building and being free to walk without a cane. From there, if he continues like he has then he may be able to return to work by April."

"That's great news," Esme agreed. "We have the house on the market at the moment, so I'm hoping it will sell before too long, but I'm not sure how to approach him about our next project. Do you think I should wait until he's been cleared to return to the jobsite, or try to talk him into working on a house in the early spring and that way it'll be almost done when he's free to work?"

"I think you should give him the choice. The worst thing he could do would be say that he wants to delay taking on a new project house until he's recovered, but making that decision for him will only end badly. I know he's going to hate having one of the boys there with him in the beginning, but that's something that I insisted on when we first discussed his progress. He'll turn it into a learning experience, especially if Seth is his shadow."

"Okay, that's what I'll do," Esme said as she turned to the potatoes and started the beater.

I carried the finished dishes out to the table while Esme finished the potatoes. The ham had been resting for a little bit, so I took out the electric knife and began cutting it. Within a couple of minutes everyone was at the table as we said a quick grace and then began to enjoy our dinner.

"Bella, as always, this meal is delicious," Carlisle complemented as he asked for more ham.

"Thank you; it's a new recipe for the glaze so I'm glad you liked it," I told him as we continued to talk and joke.

Esme started talking about the baby shower, at which point the guys offered to get the gifts ready while we put the dishes in the dishwasher. I put the pies in to warm and then we joined the guys in the living room.


	125. Chapter 125

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 125**

**BPOV**

All the gifts were laid out when we entered and I watched with a big smile on my face as Charlie opened his new fishing rod. He looked impressed with it, but when he noticed the smaller one beside it I saw the tears well up.

"I thought you could teach her how to fish. If you start early enough she might not reject it like I did," I joked, breaking the emotion of the moment.

Carlisle and Esme were very happy to have the excuse to have a nice night in Seattle, thanking us for the gift certificate to their favorite bistro. Carlisle and Esme got us a pair of Kindle Fires. At first I was confused because Edward had an iPad and I had my old Kindle, but Carlisle's explanation made sense. "Your kindle works for reading books, but with this you can do so much more, and Edward should have a tablet that is his personal item, not linked to the business. We knew you would never buy them for yourselves, but I'm sure you'll use them quite often. And you have gift cards that we emailed you so you can put some books or apps on them."

"Dad, this is awesome, thanks," Edward told Carlisle before I turned to my dad who was watching us closely.

"Dad, what do you have there?"

"Well, with the baby coming I know you're going to need a lot of stuff, and going out when she's born will be harder, so I thought that being able to stock up when you make a trip out would help so I got you both this."

He thrust the box at us and I quickly unwrapped it to see what he'd done. I laughed a little when I saw the paperwork for a gift membership to Costco and two $100 gift cards. "This is great, and I'm sure it'll pay for itself in diapers and formula alone by our third trip."

My dad was smiling again and that made me really happy. Though he would never admit it to anyone, there were times when Esme or Carlisle would make a big gesture or give us a gift that made him feel inadequate because he couldn't spend big money like he wished he could. But I didn't care about what he spent on us and I thought he knew that too. He'd always given me what I needed and I never wanted for anything if he could help it.

"I'm glad you like it, Bells." My dad smiled before I went to take the pies out and get ready for dessert.

After dessert our parents left, allowing Edward and I to head off to bed before planning to spend a peaceful Christmas at home.


	126. Chapter 126

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This is the final batch of chapters, there will be a longer AN with the epilogue, but I wanted to give some love to chatterbox33 for being review # 325 of twcs. Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and everyone else, have a great day.

**Chapter 126**

**BPOV**

Christmas morning was spent in bed with my husband relaxing and enjoying ourselves. When we made it to the tree to open presents, Edward fell in love with his camcorder. The smaller things we'd bought each other were fun to unwrap, but I could see my husband already thinking of the moments of Amanda's that he would capture on film.

As if Christmas was a turning point, the time once again began to move too fast. The only day that I took off besides my normal days off was January 10th because the idea of being at the store on the one year anniversary of my miscarriage freaked me out too much to chance.

Edward was extra attentive of me that day, and we once again found ourselves moving forward.

Phil had moved to Seattle, but he still came into town to check in on us as I began to take Edward to physical therapy most of the time, his parents filling in if I had to work. Watching him work towards his goal during his sessions was really inspiring, and he was making such improvements. I was even sitting there at his appointment on February 20th when his doctors approved him for the last phase of physical therapy and discontinued his need for the cane. That was also the day they cleared him for low impact sexual intercourse. Let's just say that Edward got his exercise that afternoon in a very different way.

My baby shower had been a fun afternoon, and with a little help from Esme and my dad, we now had the nursery fully outfitted and the bed moved from Edward's office to the third bedroom. Normalcy had returned to our lives with the exception of our daughter and her near constant need to kick me. Edward was always there to try and soothe her, but as March became April, I was ready to have her already.

Working the long hours was more difficult with my swollen feet, but Bree had really stepped up and was now closing most nights so that I could go home at six, which made a huge difference. Jasper was even hiring a new cashier for when I went on maternity leave, knowing that it would help to take the pressure off them if Kate could worry more about the office and less about the register.

Edward came running in the house, something that he happily could do now, the day after his last doctor's appointment with a huge smile on his face. "Bella, Dr. Parks said that my recovery has gone better than even she anticipated and that as long as I don't push myself too hard in the beginning, I can go back to work."

"Really?" I asked, so excited for him.

"Yeah, and I've already talked to Mom. The house she found is almost hers and I'm going to have the guys work on that while Seth and I do the side projects that we get. I've got a bunch of projects at your dad's that he's ready for because they're small, and it'll make it easier because they're minor projects which means that I won't be doing ten hour days first thing back from my injury."

Hugging Edward, I could feel the tears coming. "I'm so proud of you! And thank you for understanding my concerns when it comes to your pace when you return to work."

"I can't have you worrying about me while you're at the store, and besides, Amanda's going to need a dad that can chase after her and twirl her around. I won't be able to do that if I reinjure myself doing something stupid."

"Still, it means a lot that you're bringing Seth along to assuage my worry," I told him.

With a kiss to my forehead, Edward went into his office to call the guys and give them the good news.


	127. Chapter 127

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 127**

**EPOV**

Bella was hanging in at work for as long as she could, but I could tell she was getting close to the point where she'd have to take leave even if the baby hadn't come yet. As easy as her pregnancy had been on her, we'd had plenty of stress from my health issues. I was just thankful that they were behind me.

She was due in six days, and that left her cranky, irritable, and tired, but it also made her so incredibly beautiful to me. I didn't have a job until eleven, so I was lounging in bed when I heard Bella grumble from the bathroom. Getting up to check on her, she was standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection with her shirt only half-buttoned.

"How can you even stand to look at me?" she asked as she spotted me in the mirror.

"Excuse me?" I replied.

"I'm huge, and bloated, and I have all these stretch marks…"

Shaking my head, I walked up behind her and placed my hands on her stomach. "You aren't huge; you're pregnant with my child. That alone makes you the sexiest person in my world. And all the rest will go away once she's born. I love you for so many reasons, but none more than everything you've given me. You have made my life so much better just by being in it and I will spend the rest of my life repaying you for those gifts. Now, stop looking for flaws, please and go to work so that you can finish your day and I can have the evening to pamper you."

Blushing, she kissed me slowly, my hands tracing over her belly and breasts until she pulled back and returned to buttoning her top. "I'll see you tonight, stud."

My day moved pretty fast, and the days that followed did the same. With the baby so close to being born, I thought that time would have felt like it was dragging, but instead the days passed with no sign of Bella going into labor.

Her due date came and passed, but Amanda seemed to be comfortable where she was and as week forty-one came to an end, I was worried for Bella's sanity.

"Edward, why won't your daughter give me a break? I did what I was supposed to, I carried her for forty weeks, it's her turn to live up to the deal and come out."

Trying not to laugh at her adorable rant, I pulled Bella down beside me on the bed, helping her to get situated on her body pillow so she could attempt to get some rest. It had been two days since her doctor told her to stop working and she was ready to kill someone simply out of boredom.

"I'm not sure it works like that, but if you want me to try and help her along…" I suggested, but she turned to face me darkly.

"With all the sex we've been having, she should be getting evicted by her new brother or sister," Bella remarked as I snorted. "Keep your hands to yourself. Maybe she's just annoyed that we're keeping her up with our antics."

"I'll do whatever you want, my beauty. And I'm taking off the next few days until she's born so that way I'm with you when it happens."

That declaration seemed to soften her mood a little as she snuggled into her pillows and found some rest.

Another week passed, and Bella was a woman possessed, and I didn't blame her. I just wished there was something that I could do. May was nearly over and I was worried about how much longer before they would induce labor. Her doctor told us it would be either the second or third of June, so when Bella screamed at four forty-five in the morning on May thirty-first, I knew the time had come.


	128. Chapter 128

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 128**

**BPOV**

Women were lying bitches. Every woman who talked about the joys of natural childbirth just wanted their fellow women to suffer, and the ones who said that it didn't hurt too badly were so high off their epidural to remember anything.

I thought the mini labor during my miscarriage had been bad, but that was nothing compared to this. Edward was by my side immediately, walking me away from the toilet so I could change into the outfit I'd picked out because I didn't care if it was ruined, and then ran to get those clothes.

He was calling his dad to alert the hospital and then my doctor so she was there too, before he had me changed and loaded into his truck. The drive to the hospital felt like it was taking forever, but when I saw the familiar turn, I breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a wheelchair waiting for me, Carlisle offering me an arm so that he could put me down into the chair and lead me away. Edward was parking the car, and the separation from him immediately made me nervous.

"Bella, they'll show him back as soon as he comes in, don't worry," Carlisle comforted me as he accompanied me to the maternity room that had been set aside for me.

The nurses worked quickly to hook me up to all of the monitors and get me changed before Edward came in just as my doctor arrived. Smiling at me, my doctor settled in at the foot of the bed and said, "Okay everyone, let's see where we're at."

Looking at my cervix, she removed her gloves and looked up at me. "When did your labor start, Bella?"

"I don't know?" I told her. "I was sleeping and then I had this intense need to go to the bathroom, so I got up and when I did my water broke. That was when I noticed the contractions."

"And how far apart have they been?" she asked just as another one hit.

"About every five minutes," Edward answered from the side of the bed where he was allowing me to squeeze his hand as hard as I could.

"Well, it seems that everything is progressing right on schedule. Bella, you slept through your early labor, which is a good sign and you're four and a half centimeters dilated. It's likely that we'll be here for a while, so I will check in with you in a little while. Just try and relax and I will send in the anesthesiologist to talk to you about an epidural."

Those were the best words I'd heard since I woke up.


	129. Chapter 129

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 129**

**EPOV**

Knowing that Bella's labor was going well eased my nerves and allowed me to focus more on her and what she needed. The first hour passed with little change, but her anesthesiologist had looked at her charts and wasn't happy with what he had seen.

"It isn't something to become alarmed about, but your blood pressure is lower than normal, and an epidural could lower it more. I'm going to continue to monitor your blood pressure, but until I see it improve I can't give you the medicine."

Knowing that she was going to be doing this without pain killers, I tried to keep her focused and in the beginning it was working. The doctors kept coming in and the good news was that she was continuing to dilate as she needed to, but for Bella it wasn't soon enough.

"Edward, this is not ever happening again, so you better enjoy this with Amanda."

I tried not to chuckle at her anger, because I knew it wasn't lasting too far beyond the childbirth. "Okay, sweetheart, whatever you say."

"Don't you dare patronize me, or you'll be choking on your nuts," she threatened, ending any chance of laughter.

By eight-thirty, the doctor was back with some good news. "Bella, you're progressing beautifully and we're entering the transition period. Your contractions will come a little faster as you dilate the last two centimeters and then it will be time to push. You're doing so well, now we just need to take it the last bit."

"Isn't this happening too soon?" Bella asked, seeming to be both worried and relieved at the same time.

"No, labor is different for every woman; you likely slept through most of your early labor not even realizing it. I promise you that everything is going fine."

With that bit of reassurance, Bella continued her breathing, squeezing my hand as the pain indeed grew worse. I tried to guide her through the contractions, but they seemed to overlap to the point where there wasn't much use to it. Her doctor was back often, alerting us that she was nearly ready to push.

I sat beside her and did everything I could to relax her, but when the time came to push, I was left a little out of my depth. I stood on her right side, supporting her with my left arm and allowing her to squeeze my good hand. She slumped back into my shoulder after every push, but there seemed to be a moment or two's rest between these contractions so she was able to breathe easy for a second.

Ten o'clock had Bella still screaming and willing our little girl out, and just after ten-thirty, we heard the words that Bella had been praying for.

"She's crowning, just a few more pushes, mom, and she'll be out."

With renewed energy, Bella worked hard and four pushes later the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard filled the room.

Our daughter's cry.


	130. Chapter 130

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 130**

**BPOV**

Amanda was whisked away and I was cleaned up, the afterbirth having gone quickly after Amanda had been born. I fell asleep, but the sound of her cries a little while later had me willing myself awake.

"Mrs. Cullen, if you're going to breastfeed, we need you to sit up for us so that she can eat," the nurse spoke softly, knowing that I was exhausted.

I adjusted myself and folded down the top of my gown so that I could take her to my breast. Amanda was a fast learner, and soon she was settled back into her little bassinette and returned to the nursery.

Edward came in soon after she had left, with a bright smile on his face. "She's perfect, Bella, thank you for giving me such an amazing little girl."

From that moment in the hospital, time seemed to blur around us again. We were released from the hospital and Edward returned to work, but he made sure to be home early so that he could spend time with us. His birthday was a quiet night at home just the three of us, and with our friends coming to visit often, we didn't seem to be missing out on much.

The night of our anniversary was a little harder on me, because it meant that in two weeks, I would be returning to work.

"Bella, I know it will be hard, but we'll figure out a way to make it work. And Sue will take good care of her while we're at work."

Sue had been a bombshell all her own at our house. We had been over Charlie's with Amanda, letting him have some quality time with her when Sue asked if we had anyone to watch our girl once I went back to work. When we'd confided that we hadn't found someone yet, she jumped at the chance, saying that we didn't have to pay her, that she was happy to do it. At first she tried to play it off as paying Edward back for everything he'd done for Seth, but soon she was confessing the true reason.

"I still can't believe my dad has been dating her for months and we never knew it," I said.

"Well, we were a little preoccupied between my rehab and your pregnancy. But it's a good thing, Sue is a great woman and both her and Charlie have been alone for too long." Edward spoke of his respect for Sue after knowing her from all the work he did on the Rez with the kids.

"I think Amanda may finally be asleep for the night, or at least as far into it as she'll get," I joked, looking at Edward. "Want to go to bed early?"

"In a few," he whispered. "Why don't you put her down and then meet me in our room, I have your anniversary gift in there."

Shaking my head at my sentimental husband, I put Amanda in her crib, turning on the baby monitor before I went to find Edward sitting on our bed with an album.

"What is this?" I asked him, settling in beside him.

"Just look at it, Happy Anniversary, Bella."

I opened the first page of the album to see the inscription in the flowing script. 'Our First Year.'

On the pages of the album were photos from our first year, starting with our wedding day, each page holding a line from our song, 'Turning Page' by Sleeping at Last. I was in tears by the end of it, feeling so blessed to have this man in my life.


	131. Epilogue

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Tissue warning on this…wifey got mad enough to threaten me with the only leverage she has on me fic wise, but know I had a reason for doing it. (I promise it isn't heartfail, just unexpected for her.) Thank you all for your love on this story. I started this not sure I could do it, write the drabble-ish sized chapters and keep a pace to finish it without any major delays, and I did. Here's a glimpse into that long and happy life for this pair.**

**Epilogue**

**AmandaPOV**

I sat in my bedroom, looking around at the boxes that sat packed and stacked around my room and tried really hard not to cry. I was so nervous about making the trip down to California tomorrow with my parents to get me settled into my college dorm, but it was time. I wasn't a little girl anymore.

My whole life was in Forks, and it seemed so weird that I wouldn't be living here in the room my dad had made for me after the twins got older. Going off to college was the only way I could honor my grandfather and see my dream come true. Because like Grandpa Carlisle, I was going to be a doctor.

I was the only one of us that really remembered him, because I was almost five when he died, but we had plenty of videos of holidays and funny stories that everyone told us to make up for him not being here. And it was also the reason for Dad's biggest rule with us, we could never leave angry. It was hard to understand it when we were younger, but he told us that there had been years when he and grandpa hadn't really talked because of little things that were easily fixed, and he was happy that they were able to become close again before his accident.

A logging truck blew out a tire right by the turn to my grandparent's house, and when he swerved to miss the logs he lost control and his car went into the ditch. Grandpa Charlie had been the one to find him.

Anthony had been three, but my mom was still pregnant with Randy and Carlie when he died, so they named Carlie after Grandpa Carlisle. Mom always said it was a sign that she had his eyes.

Grandma Esme still lived in the house she and Grandpa Carlisle owned, and she kept telling me that she would leave it to me so another Cullen doctor could live there when the time came. I would be worried about it if she didn't plan to have houses for all of her grandkids. Her passion for realty and the money she'd earned in her career, plus all of Grandpa Carlisle's money meant that we'd each have the security of having a home when we were ready to move out on our own, just like she'd done for Dad.

Granted, Anthony's was a fixer-upper, just like our home had been, which he was excited about since he was working for Dad, and wanting to take over the business someday. The two of them were already talking about the work they'd do on it the summer after he graduated high school.

The twins were a lot more introverted that Anthony and I, Randy with his video games and Carlie with her Kindle. But they were close with their friends and I knew they would grow out of the shyness. I sure would miss them, though.

Grandpa Phil had moved from Seattle to LA when he was offered a job with the Dodgers ten years ago, so I was excited to have family close by while I was at UCLA. But I thought it made Mom and Dad a little easier about the move too, because people tended to stay close in Forks.

All of Mom and Dad's friends had kids around our ages, so get-together's quickly got out of hand. A simple barbeque turned into seventy people, the adults joking that they'd done their part to repopulate Forks for the next generation.

Eww.

But as much as my parents' inappropriate PDA's might squick me out, I wanted what they had someday, a guy who would look at me like I was his whole world, love me with his whole heart, and stick around when things got tough. Because my parents' might have it all together now, but they struggled when they first started out. It was why they wanted us to work so hard, so that we'd have a leg up when our turn came.

"Amanda?" I turned at the sound of my mom's voice in the doorway.

"Hey Mom," I sighed back.

"All ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm all packed, if that's what you mean," I told her, looking around the room again.

"It's tough, starting out on your own," she told me, settling in beside me on the bed. "But you'll be fine. We can Skype, and call as much as you want. And Grandpa Phil is right there, so you'll have family close by."

"But what if something happens to Grandma Esme, or Grandpa Charlie and Granny Sue, or-" I tried to reason, but she cut me off.

"Then you'll be on the next flight home, but honey, you can't put your life on hold just because of what might be. Go with the sure thing, and we'll all be here waiting for you come Thanksgiving."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, looking over at the picture frame with two pictures of me and Grandpa Carlisle in his office. I was probably four at the time, and I was wearing his stethoscope, babbling into it like a microphone before I turned to him in the second one and listened to his heart.

I picked up the frame and tucked it into the last of the boxes sitting open, finally taping it shut.

"He'd be so proud of you, Baby," Mom whispered. "Now, why don't you go to bed, we have a lot of driving ahead of us tomorrow."

The idea of driving down with Grandma Esme in my car while Mom and Dad were in his truck made me smile, because it felt like Grandpa Carlisle would be there with me in spirit.

"Okay, Mom, see you in the morning."

I turned off the light and climbed into bed, ready for the next part of my life to begin in the morning.


End file.
